chown ??

[Cameron Simpson]

On 29Jun2011 14:25, james tate <binarynut at comcast.net> wrote:
| On a backup drive /mnt/home/tom , I want to change all directories and 
| files in tom to owner:tom .
| 
| The drive is mounted but from /home the command  chown -R tom tom is not 
| changing the directories and files to owner, tom .
| 
| Command chown  -R tom:tom tom won't change the ownership in the 
| directories and files in
| directory tom .

I notice that /mnt/home/tom isn't in /home. If /home/tom is a symlink
then you'll get what you describe.

  cd /home
  ls -ld tom

Is it a symlink?

If so, you need to go:

  cd /home/tom
  chown -R tom:tom .

or

  cd /home
  chown -R tom:tom tom/.

or some variantion of that form.

Note the "/." in the second example: that _enters_ the tom directory for
the chown.

Cheers,
-- 
Cameron Simpson <cs at zip.com.au> DoD#743
http://www.cskk.ezoshosting.com/cs/

Goverment is not reason; it is not eloquence; it is force. Like fire, it is a
dangerous servant and a fearful master. - George Washington