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Ownership and Permissions

Ownership and Permissions​

Linux enforces ownership at the file level. Every file has a user owner, a group owner, and permission bits that control who can read, write, or execute it. Root (the super user) can override any setting, but regular users are restricted.

Inspecting Permissions​

Revisit the shell script from the previous section. Running it with sh LogGen.sh works, but executing it directly fails:

./LogGen.sh
/bin/ash: ./LogGen.sh: Permission denied

Use ls -l to inspect the current permissions:

ls -l

Permission listing

The leftmost column shows details such as:

  • - vs d to indicate a file or directory.
  • rwx triplets for the owner, group, and others.
  • --- indicates no permission.

For LogGen.sh the entry likely reads -rw-r--r--, meaning the owner can read/write but not execute.

Granting Execute Permission​

Use chmod to adjust permissions. The command below grants read, write, and execute rights to everyone:

chmod 777 LogGen.sh

Run ls -l again to confirm the change:

ls -l

Updated permissions

Now the script can be launched directly:

./LogGen.sh

Script runs successfully

With permissions under control, you can confidently manage files and collaborate with other users on the Omega.