Path: utzoo!utgpu!attcan!uunet!lll-winken!lll-tis!helios.ee.lbl.gov!nosc!ucsd!ucbvax!hplabs!hpda!hpcuhb!hpindda!dwall
From: dwall@hpindda.HP.COM (Darren Wall)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.hp
Subject: Re: strange failure of chown(2)
Message-ID: <4310008@hpindda.HP.COM>
Date: 28 Jul 88 16:53:37 GMT
References: <2136@mhres.mh.nl>
Organization: HP Information Networks, Cupertino, CA
Lines: 20

> The 'chown'-call fails with EPERM: "Not owner". But the file which was
> created in /usr/mail/ has owner 'mailer' and group 'mail' - just as
> can be expected.
.......
> Although I found a good work-around (running it as user 'root') I wonder
> what is happening here.
> 
> Any suggestions?

Yes, try looking at the command /etc/setprivgrp.  It allows a super-user
to allow group access to kernel capabilities (specifically, RTPRIO, MLOCK,
and CHOWN).  By default, the super-user has these capabilities, other
users don't, but can be allowed by use of the setprivgrp command.

Executing the command `/etc/setprivgrp mail CHOWN` should make this
work for you.  This could be put in your /etc/rc so that it is executed
every time you boot.

Darren Wall
Information Networks Division
Hewlett-Packard Company