Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!cs.utexas.edu!helios!inetg1!phil
From: phil@inetg1.Arco.Com (Phil Meyer)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.internals
Subject: NFS and root access (maybe vi?)
Keywords: vi zeros out files
Message-ID: <356@inetg1.arco.com>
Date: 4 Dec 90 02:27:21 GMT
Sender: news@inetg1.arco.com
Reply-To: phil@.Arco.Com (Phil Meyer)
Followup-To: phil@inetg1.Arco.Com
Distribution: usa
Organization: Arco Oil & Gas Company
Lines: 19


Here's an oldie but goodie that continues to plague every vendor but Sun.
What's the deal?

You need to edit a file that you do not have permissions on, ie: a user
asks you to help set up his .cshrc file.
Without hesitation you become super-user and edit the file.  You save your
changes.  BOOM!  The file is empty.  Sure enough, the file system you are
in is NFS mounted from somewhere else.

The only systems that correctly say, "Permission denied" are Suns.
I have been bitten by this behavior far too many times.  Are people
even aware of this?  Has anyone fixed this?  Do vendors care?  Nah

Just griping (betcha can't guess what I did today?)
-- 
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| Phil Meyer         phil@arco.com  Work:(214) 754-6805  Home:(214) 625-4130 |
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