January 4, 2009 CHMOD 2

### NAME

chmod, lchmod, fchmod - change mode of file

### LIBRARY

Standard C Library (libc, -lc)

### SYNOPSIS

```int` chmod(```const char *path``, mode_t mode`)
```int` lchmod(```const char *path``, mode_t mode`)
```int` fchmod(```int fd``, mode_t mode`)

### DESCRIPTION

The function chmod(``) sets the file permission bits of the file specified by the pathname ```path` to ```mode`. fchmod(``) sets the permission bits of the specified file descriptor ```fd`. lchmod(``) is like chmod(``) except in the case where the named file is a symbolic link, in which case lchmod(``) sets the permission bits of the link, while chmod(``) sets the bits of the file the link references. chmod(``) verifies that the process owner (user) either owns the file specified by ```path` (or ```fd`), or is the super-user. A mode is created from or'd permission bit masks defined in <```sys/stat.h`>:

  `

      #define S_IRWXU 0000700    /* RWX mask for owner */
      #define S_IRUSR 0000400    /* R for owner */
      #define S_IWUSR 0000200    /* W for owner */
      #define S_IXUSR 0000100    /* X for owner */

      #define S_IRWXG 0000070    /* RWX mask for group */
      #define S_IRGRP 0000040    /* R for group */
      #define S_IWGRP 0000020    /* W for group */
      #define S_IXGRP 0000010    /* X for group */

      #define S_IRWXO 0000007    /* RWX mask for other */
      #define S_IROTH 0000004    /* R for other */
      #define S_IWOTH 0000002    /* W for other */
      #define S_IXOTH 0000001    /* X for other */

      #define S_ISUID 0004000    /* set user id on execution */
      #define S_ISGID 0002000    /* set group id on execution */
      #define S_ISVTX 0001000    /* save swapped text even after use */

  `

If mode ```ISVTX` (the `sticky bit') is set on a regular file, it historically meant that the system should save a shareable copy of the program text in the swap area. When applied to commonly used programs like the shell or editor, this would decrease memory usage and startup time. In NetBSD, the sticky bit may still be set on regular files by the super-user, but has no effect. The historical meaning became obsolete in the 1980s with the advent of memory-mapped executables, and is only documented as a matter of historical interest.

If mode ```ISVTX` (the `sticky bit') is set on a directory, an unprivileged user may not delete or rename files of other users in that directory. The sticky bit may be set by any user on a directory which the user owns or has appropriate permissions.

For more information about the properties of the sticky bit, see sticky(7).

Changing the owner of a file turns off the set-user-id and set-group-id bits; writing to a file turns off the set-user-id and set-group-id bits unless the user is the super-user. This makes the system somewhat more secure by protecting set-user-id (set-group-id) files from remaining set-user-id (set-group-id) if they are modified, at the expense of a degree of compatibility.

### RETURN VALUES

Upon successful completion, a value of 0 is returned. Otherwise, a value of -1 is returned and errno is set to indicate the error.

### ERRORS

chmod(``) and lchmod(``) will fail and the file mode will be unchanged if:

[```ENOTDIR`]
  A component of the path prefix is not a directory.

[```ENAMETOOLONG`]
  A component of a pathname exceeded ```{NAME_MAX}` characters, or an entire path name exceeded ```{PATH_MAX}` characters.

[```ENOENT`]
  The named file does not exist.

[```EACCES`]
  Search permission is denied for a component of the path prefix.

[```ELOOP`]
  Too many symbolic links were encountered in translating the pathname.

[```EPERM`]
  The effective user ID does not match the owner of the file and the effective user ID is not the super-user.

[```EPERM`]
  The mode includes the setgid bit (```S_ISGID`) but the file's group is neither the effective group ID nor is it in the group access list.

[```EROFS`]
  The named file resides on a read-only file system.

[```EFAULT`]
  ```path` points outside the process's allocated address space.

[```EIO`]
  An I/O error occurred while reading from or writing to the file system.

[```EFTYPE`]
  The effective user ID is not the super-user, the ```mode` includes the sticky bit (```S_ISVTX`), and ```path` does not refer to a directory.

fchmod(``) will fail if:

[```EBADF`]
  The descriptor is not valid.

[```EINVAL`]
  ```fd` refers to a socket, not to a file.

[```EPERM`]
  The effective user ID does not match the owner of the file and the effective user ID is not the super-user.

[```EPERM`]
  The mode includes the setgid bit (```S_ISGID`) but the file's group is neither the effective group ID nor is it in the group access list.

[```EROFS`]
  The file resides on a read-only file system.

[```EIO`]
  An I/O error occurred while reading from or writing to the file system.

[```EFTYPE`]
  The effective user ID is not the super-user, the ```mode` includes the sticky bit (```S_ISVTX`), and ```fd` does not refer to a directory.

### SEE ALSO

chmod(1), chflags(2), chown(2), open(2), stat(2), getmode(3), setmode(3), sticky(7), symlink(7)

### STANDARDS

The chmod(``) function conforms to ISO/IEC 9945-1:1990 (``POSIX.1'') .

### HISTORY

The fchmod(``) function call appeared in 4.2BSD. The lchmod(``) function call appeared in NetBSD1.3.