'write' permissions for users?

[ds801]

I want to download some files, and save them on a second hard drive. (Specifically, a Linux distro, as files not ISO, using FTP.)

Here's the problem: since it will take several hours to download everything, I think it would be better to do it while logged in as a user, not root. But I can't seem to allow the user write permission to the second hard drive. I've tried everything I can think of, nothing seems to be working. Even as root, I can't make permission changes to the folder the drive is mounted to.

I'm assuming that the problem lies in how the drive is mounted (as in what mount options I use), but following the info I have to make the drive writeable doesn't seem to work (I'm sure I'doing something wrong...).

Any advice?

[Phreakee]

Is the drive mounted automatically? If so then check the /etc/fstab file to see how the drive is being mounted. If might be mounted with the ro flag set and then the drive would be mounted read only.

If the drive is not being mounted automagicly then what command are you using to mount it?

[ds801]

I'm using Mandrake7.0. I setup the second drive by going to Linuxconf->filesystems->Access local drives, I setup the mount point originally under /mnt/hdc, but after having the same permissions problems I re-mounted it under /home/user/hdc (thinking maybe it had to be in a folder where user had write permissions). Here's my fstab entry for the drive (what linuxconf set it up as):

/dev/hdc1 /home/user/hdc vfat user,exec,dev,suid,rw 1 1

I've tried changing permissions, groups, owner etc using kfm, and it keeps denying me permission to change anything, even as root.

Perhaps a better question for me to ask is:

If I want to mount a second HD, and allow users to write to it, how do I do that?


[This message has been edited by ds801 (edited 10 November 2000).]

[Phreakee]

The way that I have always mounted my drive was with the command

mount -t /dev/hda5 /mnt/windows

where the directory /mnt/windows is set to 777

I have mine automounting and here is my fstab entry:

/dev/hda5 /mnt/windows vfat defaults 1 2


I just modeled it after other lines in the file!

[ds801]

Right, I know how to mount the drive, I don't know how to enable user write permissions.

So you're saying that to mount the drive, I don't really have to specify any mount options, but I have to set the mount folder to "777". What command do I use to set that?

[ep0k]

Originally posted by ds801:
Right, I know how to mount the drive, I don't know how to enable user write permissions.

So you're saying that to mount the drive, I don't really have to specify any mount options, but I have to set the mount folder to "777". What command do I use to set that?


chmod 777 whatever/you/want

[ds801]

O.K., I think I figured out the problem (maybe...).

I used a DOS boot disk to fdisk and format the drive, installed it in Linux. (so it was formatted FAT32)

I decided to wipe the drive, use cfdisk, then mke2fs, then mount it into the filesystem. Now chown and chmod are working, and I've got write permissions as a user.

Could the fact that the drive was pre-formatted (not by root) have been causing the problem? (Or should I say, that everyone else knew that except me? http://www.linuxnewbie.org/ubb/confused.gif

Anyway, thanks for the input Phreakee and ep0k!