[techtalk] Permissions

[Carolyn Jarie Getter]

Thanks for the help.  Believe it or not, I have RTFM, and the relevant parts in
Running Linux.  (Maybe I need to read them again, eh?  I have not been too keen
on Running Linux.  It seemed to me to far too often read something like "you
can do great things with XYZ, but we don't have space to tell you about XYZ." 
Or it tells how to do something without really explaining what it is I am
doing.  I'll unbury it and give it another shot.)

I think I run into trouble mostly when my files are buried ten directories down
a tree.  Okay, maybe not ten, but definitely down the tree.  Am I correct that
to read, write or execute, say, three directories down a tree, I have to give
read, write, and execute privileges to each of the directories in that tree? 
That makes me a bit nervous.

The SUID bit has me a bit perplexed as well.  I swear that I have it set on
the appropriate files, but I can't get whatever it is to function.  Yesterday,
I tried to get ppp working using SUID where I thought necessary.  No cigars. 
Login as root and I get it running no sweat.  Incredibly frustrating, that,
especially when it happens nearly every time I try to install something!

Reading about the security problems bad permissions and SUID open up
doesn't make it any easier!  I'm finding far too much of the documentation
reads something like "There are some lamers who SUID on file LMNOP.  That is
such a stupid and obvious security hole."  There is nothing said about what the
lamer should be doing.  

I think I can; I think I can; I think I can.  :)

Carolyn