Problems modifying / adding users groups

[Scot L. Harris]

On Tue, 2004-11-16 at 14:00, Burke, Dan wrote:
> Sorry, I think I sent this to the "Announce" list initially on accident.
> 
> Hello,
> 
> I'm running several Fedora C2 boxes, and this one is giving me grief.  I
> can't reload it because apps are already running on it.  I went to add a
> "mysql" group while installing mysql 4.1.7, and found that I can't add
> or modify groups and users.
> 
> With groupadd I get:
> 
> Groupadd: cannot rewrite group file
> 
> Same deal with useradd.
> 
> With system-config-users it locks up and in a terminal I see the error:
> 
> Traceback (most recent call last):
>   File "/usr/share/system-config-users/groupWindow.py", line 154, in
> on_groupWin_ok_button_clicked
>     self.parent.ADMIN.addGroup(groupEnt)
> RuntimeError: couldn't get security context of `/etc/group': No data
> available
> 
> 
> Any ideas what could be causing it?  And how I can fix it (preferably
> not just rebooting, I can't reboot it until Saturday and I need to get
> this going).
> 
> Dan.

First thing to look at is the permissions on /etc/group file.   Also
check the ownership.  Should be:

644 root:root for /etc/group


Of course you need to be root to write to that file so it is assumed
that you have su - to root first.


-- 
Scot L. Harris
webid at cfl.rr.com

genealogy, n.:
	An account of one's descent from an ancestor
	who did not particularly care to trace his own.
		-- Ambrose Bierce