Path: utzoo!utgpu!watmath!clyde!att!whuts!mjs
From: mjs@whuts.ATT.COM (SCHEUTZOW)
Newsgroups: comp.os.minix
Subject: Re: rmdir has become blind
Keywords: rmdir says "xx: does not exist"
Message-ID: <5116@whuts.ATT.COM>
Date: 29 Nov 88 20:41:56 GMT
References: <579@mks.UUCP> <280@lzaz.ATT.COM>
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories, Whippany NJ
Lines: 23

>> I can see the directory with ls -l, but if I try rmdir foo, I get an
>> error message from rmdir saying foo does not exist. I looked in the
>> code, and this will print if rmdir gets an error stat'ing the file.

> The commonest cause of a file or directory that cannot be removed
> is that there are non printing characters as part of the name.

> 	I had this problem once or twice on Minix PC.  I was able solve
> the problem by checking the file system.

On my copy of minix (ibmpc v1.2) the "rmdir" program does not have the
suid bit set.  This means that root can remove directories, but ordinary
users don't have sufficient privilege. This makes it appear that the command
"suddenly" stops working.

Login as root and change directory to /usr/bin.  Set this bit using the
command: 
	     # chmod 4755 rmdir

This cleared up the problem for me.

Mike S.
att!whuts!mjs