Path: utzoo!utgpu!watserv1!watmath!att!linac!pacific.mps.ohio-state.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!wuarchive!udel!rochester!kodak!ispd-newsserver!ism.isc.com!pandora!tedga
From: tedga@pandora.ism.isc.com (Ted Garrett)
Newsgroups: comp.bugs.sys5
Subject: Re: uucp bug overwriting existing file
Summary: It's only happened to me when I wanted it to.
Message-ID: <1991Feb06.062553.15422@ism.isc.com>
Date: 6 Feb 91 06:25:53 GMT
References: <1991Feb02.034416.3383@chinet.chi.il.us>
Sender: usenet@ism.isc.com (Ism Usenet News)
Reply-To: tedga@pandora.ism.isc.com (Ted Garrett)
Organization: Interactive Systems Corp., Santa Monica, CA
Lines: 32

In article <1991Feb02.034416.3383@chinet.chi.il.us> les@chinet.chi.il.us
(Leslie Mikesell) writes:
>I just discovered the following "interesting" behaviour in the
>version of HDB uucp shipped with AT&T's SysVr3.2:
>If you uucp a new copy of an existing file and (1) the new file
>is shorter than the old one and (2) the directory containing the
>file is not writable by uucp, the file is not truncated to the
>new length but the new contents overwrite the corresponding portion
>of the existing file.
>
>Les Mikesell
>  les@chinet.chi.il.us

Indeed this is 'interesting'.  I've never had uucp override file or directory
permissions on me, and I operated AT&T system V release 3.2.2 extensively
using uucp for over a year.  But then again, I usually restricted execute
permissions for the directory also.  uucp is a PROGRAM, not a user.
Therefore, if the directory is not writeable, but the file is, AND the
directory in question IS writeable by the person who requested the
transfer, uucp SHOULD be able to write to the directory and file.

================================================================================
  ____/|  | These opinions are mine.  Mine alone.    | Ted Garrett
  \'o.O'  | Don't you DARE try to blame my company   | tedga@pandora.ism.isc.com
  =() ()= | for them.                                | Interactive Systems Corp.
     U    | "Just 'cause ya got the money don't mean | Santa Monica, CA, USA
 Pth! Ack!|  ya got the right!"            Motorhead |
================================================================================

===============================================================================
 ____/|  | These opinions are mine.  Mine alone.    | Ted Garrett
 \'o.O'  | Don't you DARE try to blame my company   | tedga@pandora.ism.isc.com