Subject: WU-FTPD, Group Controls and the /etc/passwd file

From: Neil Movold <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun, 29 Oct 1995 15:11:54 -0500 (EST)

I have been trying to use WU-FTPD Version 2.4 on my OSF/1 Version 3.2 
(Rev. 214) to allow individuals to be able to download HTML files to 
specific directories within my WWW server root directory.  However, I am 
unable to get the Group Access capabilities working using the login 
directory field.  According to page 80 of the book "Managing Internet 
Information Services", "the login directory field is interpreted in a 
special way by FTPD.  The login directory field is actually two 
pathnames, seperated by /./, (slash-dot-slash).  The first pathname is 
the directory the guest user will be chroot()ed to, and the second is the 
pathname (relative to the chroot()ed directory) of the guest user's login 
directory.  So the entry:

  guest1:PCdpadpPDpad:202:21:Guest FTP user:/users/guests/./guest1:/bin/false

changes guest1's view of the filesystem so that /users/guests appears to 
be the root and logs her in to the new root's guest1 directory."

When I create a directory with the GID and UID set as specified in my 
/etc/passwd file, I get the following error when I try to ftp in :

Password:
550 Can't set guest privileges.
Login failed.
Remote system type is UNIX.
Using binary mode to transfer files.

I think I am on the right track, but I cannot see where the problem is.  
I have checked directory ownerships, privs etc., and cannot find anything 
wrong. 

Does anyone have any suggestions on how I may be able to fix this problem 
or even a better way to allow individuals to download files to specific 
directories?  I don't want them to be able to access any other 
directories than the one they login to, which is what I believe that 
WU-FTP is doing with the above example.

Thanks in advance,

		Neil :-)

                     \\\//
                     (o o)
------------------ooO-(_)-Ooo-----------------------------------------
Neil Movold                     Phone  : +1 809 296-1800      
Special Operations Consultant   Fax    : +1 809 295-7269     
 ( i.e. the guy who has to 
        make it all work :-) )
Internet (Bermuda) Limited      E-mail : [email-masked]     
P.O. Box HM2445
Hamilton, Bermuda
HM JX