Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watnot!watmath!clyde!rutgers!ames!ucbcad!ucbvax!sdcsvax!ucsdhub!hp-sdd!hplabs!hpcea!hpda!hpcup4!hpdsd!hpisod2!decot
From: decot@hpisod2.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.unix.wizards
Subject: Re: ls -l obscures important information
Message-ID: <2590005@hpisod2.HP.COM>
Date: Wed, 18-Mar-87 15:43:30 EST
Article-I.D.: hpisod2.2590005
Posted: Wed Mar 18 15:43:30 1987
Date-Received: Sun, 22-Mar-87 21:43:05 EST
References: <17803@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU>
Organization: Hewlett Packard, Cupertino
Lines: 29

> I had a maddening problem in which a member of a group could not
> execute a program that was setgid to that group.  After some fuddling
> around I chmoded the program again and suddenly it worked.  Turned
> out that a mistake in a makefile had caused the program to be
> installed originally with mode 2701 - not executable by the group -
> but of course ls -l shows  rwx--s--x   as if all were well.
> 
> Jim Haynes
> ...ucbvax!ucscc!haynes

On System V Interface Definition conforming systems, ls -l shows files
with a 2701 mode as follows:

    -rwx--S--x   1 decot  hp  		0 Mar 18 12:35 foo

However, the SVID prognosticates in FUTURE DIRECTIONS that

    The group execute permission bit will be shown as l if mandatory
    locking is enabled for the file.  It will not be possible to
    set-group-ID without also turning on group execute permission;
    therefore the group execute permission character will have one
    of the following values:  -, x, s, or l; (S will not be possible).

This means that 2701 file mode would not indicate a setgid file at all,
just that file locking would be enforced.

Dave Decot
Hewlett-Packard Company
hpda!decot