freebsd-dev/usr.sbin/chown/chown.8

.\" Copyright (c) 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994
.\"	The Regents of the University of California.  All rights reserved.
.\"
.\" Redistribution and use in source and binary forms, with or without
.\" modification, are permitted provided that the following conditions
.\" are met:
.\" 1. Redistributions of source code must retain the above copyright
.\"    notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer.
.\" 2. Redistributions in binary form must reproduce the above copyright
.\"    notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer in the
.\"    documentation and/or other materials provided with the distribution.
.\" 3. All advertising materials mentioning features or use of this software
.\"    must display the following acknowledgement:
.\"	This product includes software developed by the University of
.\"	California, Berkeley and its contributors.
.\" 4. Neither the name of the University nor the names of its contributors
.\"    may be used to endorse or promote products derived from this software
.\"    without specific prior written permission.
.\"
.\" THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED BY THE REGENTS AND CONTRIBUTORS ``AS IS'' AND
.\" ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE
.\" IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE
.\" ARE DISCLAIMED.  IN NO EVENT SHALL THE REGENTS OR CONTRIBUTORS BE LIABLE
.\" FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR CONSEQUENTIAL
.\" DAMAGES (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, PROCUREMENT OF SUBSTITUTE GOODS
.\" OR SERVICES; LOSS OF USE, DATA, OR PROFITS; OR BUSINESS INTERRUPTION)
.\" HOWEVER CAUSED AND ON ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, STRICT
.\" LIABILITY, OR TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE OR OTHERWISE) ARISING IN ANY WAY
.\" OUT OF THE USE OF THIS SOFTWARE, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF
.\" SUCH DAMAGE.
.\"
.\"     @(#)chown.8	8.3 (Berkeley) 3/31/94
.\" $FreeBSD$
.\"
.Dd March 31, 1994
.Dt CHOWN 8
.Os BSD 4
.Sh NAME
.Nm chown
.Nd change file owner and group
.Sh SYNOPSIS
.Nm chown
.Op Fl fhv
.Oo
.Fl R
.Op Fl H | Fl L | Fl P
.Oc
.Ar owner Ns Op Ar :group
.Ar file ...
.Nm chown
.Op Fl fhv
.Oo
.Fl R
.Op Fl H | Fl L | Fl P
.Oc
.Ar :group
.Ar
.Sh DESCRIPTION
.Nm Chown
sets the user ID and/or the group ID of the specified files.
.Pp
The options are as follows:
.Bl -tag -width Ds
.It Fl H
If the
.Fl R
option is specified, symbolic links on the command line are followed.
(Symbolic links encountered in the tree traversal are not followed).
.It Fl L
If the
.Fl R
option is specified, all symbolic links are followed.
.It Fl P
If the
.Fl R
option is specified, no symbolic links are followed.
.It Fl R
Change the user ID and/or the group ID for the file hierarchies rooted
in the files instead of just the files themselves.
.It Fl f
Don't report any failure to change file owner or group, nor modify
the exit status to reflect such failures.
.It Fl h
If the file is a symbolic link, change the user ID and/or the group ID
of the link itself rather than the file that the link points to.
.It Fl v
Cause
.Nm
to be verbose, showing files as the owner is modified.
.El
.Pp
The
.Fl H ,
.Fl L
and
.Fl P
options are ignored unless the
.Fl R
option is specified.
In addition, these options override each other and the
command's actions are determined by the last one specified.
.Pp
The
.Ar owner
and
.Ar group
operands are both optional, however, one must be specified.
If the
.Ar group
operand is specified, it must be preceded by a colon (``:'') character.
.Pp
The
.Ar owner
may be either a numeric user ID or a user name.
If a user name is also a numeric user ID, the operand is used as a
user name.
The
.Ar group
may be either a numeric group ID or a group name.
If a group name is also a numeric group ID, the operand is used as a
group name.
.Pp
The ownership of a file may only be altered by a super-user for
obvious security reasons.
.Pp
The
.Nm
utility exits 0 on success, and >0 if an error occurs.
.Sh COMPATIBILITY
Previous versions of the
.Nm
utility used the dot (``.'') character to distinguish the group name.
This has been changed to be a colon (``:'') character so that user and
group names may contain the dot character.
.Pp
On previous versions of this system, symbolic links did not have
owners.
.Pp
The
.Fl v
option is non-standard and its use in scripts is not recommended.
.Sh SEE ALSO
.Xr chgrp 1 ,
.Xr find 1 ,
.Xr chown 2 ,
.Xr fts 3 ,
.Xr symlink 7
.Sh STANDARDS
The
.Nm
command is expected to be
.St -p1003.2
compliant.
.Sh HISTORY
A
.Nm
command appeared in
.At v1 .
BSD 4.4 Lite usr.sbin Sources 1994-05-26 05:23:31 +00:00			`.\" Copyright (c) 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994`
			`.\" The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved.`
			`.\"`
			`.\" Redistribution and use in source and binary forms, with or without`
			`.\" modification, are permitted provided that the following conditions`
			`.\" are met:`
			`.\" 1. Redistributions of source code must retain the above copyright`
			`.\" notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer.`
			`.\" 2. Redistributions in binary form must reproduce the above copyright`
			`.\" notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer in the`
			`.\" documentation and/or other materials provided with the distribution.`
			`.\" 3. All advertising materials mentioning features or use of this software`
			`.\" must display the following acknowledgement:`
			`.\" This product includes software developed by the University of`
			`.\" California, Berkeley and its contributors.`
			`.\" 4. Neither the name of the University nor the names of its contributors`
			`.\" may be used to endorse or promote products derived from this software`
			`.\" without specific prior written permission.`
			`.\"`
			.\" THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED BY THE REGENTS AND CONTRIBUTORS ``AS IS'' AND
			`.\" ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE`
			`.\" IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE`
			`.\" ARE DISCLAIMED. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE REGENTS OR CONTRIBUTORS BE LIABLE`
			`.\" FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR CONSEQUENTIAL`
			`.\" DAMAGES (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, PROCUREMENT OF SUBSTITUTE GOODS`
			`.\" OR SERVICES; LOSS OF USE, DATA, OR PROFITS; OR BUSINESS INTERRUPTION)`
			`.\" HOWEVER CAUSED AND ON ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, STRICT`
			`.\" LIABILITY, OR TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE OR OTHERWISE) ARISING IN ANY WAY`
			`.\" OUT OF THE USE OF THIS SOFTWARE, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF`
			`.\" SUCH DAMAGE.`
			`.\"`
			`.\" @(#)chown.8 8.3 (Berkeley) 3/31/94`
$Id$ -> $FreeBSD$ 1999-08-28 01:35:59 +00:00			`.\" $FreeBSD$`
BSD 4.4 Lite usr.sbin Sources 1994-05-26 05:23:31 +00:00			`.\"`
			`.Dd March 31, 1994`
			`.Dt CHOWN 8`
			`.Os BSD 4`
			`.Sh NAME`
			`.Nm chown`
			`.Nd change file owner and group`
			`.Sh SYNOPSIS`
			`.Nm chown`
Somehow I didn't get all the "-v" code commited. Submitted by: Arindum Mukerji <rmukerji@execpc.com> Approved by: JKH Make the manpage more style(9) complient. 2000-03-08 16:31:42 +00:00			`.Op Fl fhv`
BSD 4.4 Lite usr.sbin Sources 1994-05-26 05:23:31 +00:00			`.Oo`
			`.Fl R`
			`.Op Fl H \| Fl L \| Fl P`
			`.Oc`
space is not allowed between owner and :group. 1999-10-08 21:38:08 +00:00			`.Ar owner Ns Op Ar :group`
BSD 4.4 Lite usr.sbin Sources 1994-05-26 05:23:31 +00:00			`.Ar file ...`
			`.Nm chown`
Somehow I didn't get all the "-v" code commited. Submitted by: Arindum Mukerji <rmukerji@execpc.com> Approved by: JKH Make the manpage more style(9) complient. 2000-03-08 16:31:42 +00:00			`.Op Fl fhv`
BSD 4.4 Lite usr.sbin Sources 1994-05-26 05:23:31 +00:00			`.Oo`
			`.Fl R`
			`.Op Fl H \| Fl L \| Fl P`
			`.Oc`
			`.Ar :group`
Cosmetic in man page. Sync usage() with man page. 1997-09-04 11:55:45 +00:00			`.Ar`
BSD 4.4 Lite usr.sbin Sources 1994-05-26 05:23:31 +00:00			`.Sh DESCRIPTION`
			`.Nm Chown`
			`sets the user ID and/or the group ID of the specified files.`
			`.Pp`
			`The options are as follows:`
			`.Bl -tag -width Ds`
			`.It Fl H`
			`If the`
			`.Fl R`
			`option is specified, symbolic links on the command line are followed.`
Cosmetic in man page. Sync usage() with man page. 1997-09-04 11:55:45 +00:00			`(Symbolic links encountered in the tree traversal are not followed).`
BSD 4.4 Lite usr.sbin Sources 1994-05-26 05:23:31 +00:00			`.It Fl L`
			`If the`
			`.Fl R`
			`option is specified, all symbolic links are followed.`
			`.It Fl P`
			`If the`
			`.Fl R`
			`option is specified, no symbolic links are followed.`
			`.It Fl R`
			`Change the user ID and/or the group ID for the file hierarchies rooted`
			`in the files instead of just the files themselves.`
			`.It Fl f`
			`Don't report any failure to change file owner or group, nor modify`
			`the exit status to reflect such failures.`
Activate the -h flag which tells chown/chgrp to work on the symlink itself using lchown(). Most of the code was already here, the option was recognised but ignored for SYSV/POSIX.2(?) compatability. 1997-03-31 13:03:49 +00:00			`.It Fl h`
			`If the file is a symbolic link, change the user ID and/or the group ID`
			`of the link itself rather than the file that the link points to.`
Add "-v". 1999-11-27 19:25:08 +00:00			`.It Fl v`
			`Cause`
			`.Nm`
			`to be verbose, showing files as the owner is modified.`
BSD 4.4 Lite usr.sbin Sources 1994-05-26 05:23:31 +00:00			`.El`
			`.Pp`
			`The`
			`.Fl H ,`
			`.Fl L`
			`and`
			`.Fl P`
			`options are ignored unless the`
			`.Fl R`
			`option is specified.`
			`In addition, these options override each other and the`
			`command's actions are determined by the last one specified.`
			`.Pp`
			`The`
			`.Ar owner`
			`and`
			`.Ar group`
			`operands are both optional, however, one must be specified.`
			`If the`
			`.Ar group`
			operand is specified, it must be preceded by a colon (``:'') character.
			`.Pp`
			`The`
			`.Ar owner`
			`may be either a numeric user ID or a user name.`
			`If a user name is also a numeric user ID, the operand is used as a`
			`user name.`
			`The`
			`.Ar group`
			`may be either a numeric group ID or a group name.`
			`If a group name is also a numeric group ID, the operand is used as a`
			`group name.`
			`.Pp`
			`The ownership of a file may only be altered by a super-user for`
			`obvious security reasons.`
			`.Pp`
			`The`
Cosmetic in man page. Sync usage() with man page. 1997-09-04 11:55:45 +00:00			`.Nm`
BSD 4.4 Lite usr.sbin Sources 1994-05-26 05:23:31 +00:00			`utility exits 0 on success, and >0 if an error occurs.`
			`.Sh COMPATIBILITY`
			`Previous versions of the`
Cosmetic in man page. Sync usage() with man page. 1997-09-04 11:55:45 +00:00			`.Nm`
BSD 4.4 Lite usr.sbin Sources 1994-05-26 05:23:31 +00:00			utility used the dot (``.'') character to distinguish the group name.
			This has been changed to be a colon (``:'') character so that user and
			`group names may contain the dot character.`
			`.Pp`
Activate the -h flag which tells chown/chgrp to work on the symlink itself using lchown(). Most of the code was already here, the option was recognised but ignored for SYSV/POSIX.2(?) compatability. 1997-03-31 13:03:49 +00:00			`On previous versions of this system, symbolic links did not have`
			`owners.`
Add "-v". 1999-11-27 19:25:08 +00:00			`.Pp`
			`The`
			`.Fl v`
			`option is non-standard and its use in scripts is not recommended.`
BSD 4.4 Lite usr.sbin Sources 1994-05-26 05:23:31 +00:00			`.Sh SEE ALSO`
			`.Xr chgrp 1 ,`
			`.Xr find 1 ,`
			`.Xr chown 2 ,`
			`.Xr fts 3 ,`
			`.Xr symlink 7`
			`.Sh STANDARDS`
			`The`
Cosmetic in man page. Sync usage() with man page. 1997-09-04 11:55:45 +00:00			`.Nm`
			`command is expected to be`
			`.St -p1003.2`
			`compliant.`
[HISTORY] command appeared in Version 1 AT&T UNIX Obtained from: A Quarter Century of UNIX, Peter H. Salus, page 41 1996-08-29 18:06:19 +00:00			`.Sh HISTORY`
			`A`
			`.Nm`
			`command appeared in`
			`.At v1 .`