CHOWN

Section: Linux Programmer's Manual (2)
Updated: 21 July 1993
Index Return to Main Contents
 

NAME

chown, fchown - change ownership of a file  

SYNOPSIS

#include <sys/types.h>
#include <unistd.h>

int chown(const char *path, uid_t owner, gid_t group);
int fchown(int fd, uid_t owner, gid_t group);  

DESCRIPTION

The owner of the file specified by path or by fd is changed. Only the super-user may change the owner of a file. The owner of a file may change the group of the file to any group of which that owner is a member. The super-user may change the group arbitrarily.

If the owner or group is specified as -1, then that ID is not changed.  

RETURN VALUE

On success, zero is returned. On error, -1 is returned, and errno is set appropriately.  

ERRORS

Depending on the file system, other errors can be returned. The more general errors for chown are listed below:

EPERM
The effective UID does not match the owner of the file, and is not zero; or the owner or group were specified incorrectly.
EROFS
The named file resides on a read-only file system.
EFAULT
path points outside your accessible address space.
ENAMETOOLONG
path is too long.
ENOENT
The file does not exist.
ENOMEM
Insufficient kernel memory was available.
ENOTDIR
A component of the path prefix is not a directory.
EACCES
Search permission is denied on a component of the path prefix.
ELOOP
path contains a circular reference (i.e., via a symbolic link)

The general errors for fchown are listed below:

EBADF
The descriptor is not value.
ENOENT
See above.
EPERM
See above.
EROFS
See above.
 

NOTES

The prototype for fchown is only available if __USE_BSD is defined.  

SEE ALSO

chmod(2), flock(2)


 

Index

NAME
SYNOPSIS
DESCRIPTION
RETURN VALUE
ERRORS
NOTES
SEE ALSO

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