SYS V unlink() call

Daniel R. Levy levy at ttrdc.UUCP
Sat Mar 1 13:49:55 AEST 1986


<Oh oh here it comes.  Watch out boy, it'll chew you up! \
Oh oh here it comes.  The LINE EATER!  [Line eater]>

In article <1019 at brl-smoke.ARPA>, gwyn at brl-smoke.UUCP writes:
>> My question is this: In SYSV do you have* to be SU
>> to unlink directories?
>Yes, insofar as the unlink() system call is concerned.
>(Ditto for making links to directories.)  This should
>be true for any UNIX that does not supply special
>directory system calls.
>> Does that mean that to delete *any* directory the program
>> must be set uid'ed to root?
>No, you can always use something like:
>	system( "rm directory-name" );
>"rm", or a set-UID subprocess "rmdir" that it might
>invoke, has the necessary privilege.

Surely you mean "rm -r directory-name" or even better "rm -rf directory-name".

Just system("rm directory-name") will evince the diagnostic:

rm: directory-name directory

to stderr.
-- 
 -------------------------------    Disclaimer:  The views contained herein are
|       dan levy | yvel nad      |  my own and are not at all those of my em-
|         an engihacker @        |  ployer or the administrator of any computer
| at&t computer systems division |  upon which I may hack.
|        skokie, illinois        |
 --------------------------------   Path: ..!{akgua,homxb,ihnp4,ltuxa,mvuxa,
						vax135}!ttrdc!levy



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