Newsgroups: comp.unix.questions
Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!think.com!barmar
From: barmar@think.com (Barry Margolin)
Subject: Re: mkdir has stopped working - SCO Xenix
Message-ID: <1991Apr18.195939.2443@Think.COM>
Sender: news@Think.COM
Organization: Thinking Machines Corporation, Cambridge MA, USA
References: <1991Apr10.090338.4967@nodecg.ncc.telecomwa.oz.au> <15884@smoke.brl.mil> <veit.671986606@du9ds3>
Date: Thu, 18 Apr 91 19:59:39 GMT

In article <veit.671986606@du9ds3> veit@du9ds3.uni-duisburg.de (Holger Veit) writes:
>In <15884@smoke.brl.mil> gwyn@smoke.brl.mil (Doug Gwyn) writes:
>>On many UNIX implementations, presumably including yours,
>>"mkdir" must be installed set-UID 0 in order to work.
>But Mark Baker said above, that even root cannot make a directory. So, setuid 0
>for mkdir is obviously not the problem.

No, it still could be the problem.  Maybe his mkdir is still setuid, but
with a non-root owner.  When root runs it, his UID is changed to that of
the incorrect owner, and then he can't do the privileged system call.

Remember, setuid even affects the superuser.

--
Barry Margolin, Thinking Machines Corp.

barmar@think.com
{uunet,harvard}!think!barmar
