Question

Hello, I ran the script 'http://twiki.org/cgi-bin/view/TWiki/TWikiInstallationGuide#Step_2_Set_File_Permissions' and after that I keep on getting a server 500 error, but the worst thing is that nobody can log onto the actual box anymore 'ftp or ssh'. I am really pulling my hair out. Can anybody suggest a solution for this annoying problem. Also when I try to add a new-user to the Debian box I get '/usr/sbin/adduser: /usr/bin/perl: bad interpreter: Permission denied' so I am sure that the script has modified the permissions for perl in a nasty way.. Any help will be greatlyfully received.

Environment

TWiki version:	TWikiRelease01Feb2003
TWiki plugins:	DefaultPlugin, EmptyPlugin, InterwikiPlugin
Server OS:	Debian
Web server:	Apache
Perl version:	5.6.1
Client OS:	Debian
Web Browser:	I.E.6

-- DaveKnigh - 24 Apr 2004

Answer

Go on TWikiIRC and see if someone more knowledgable than myself can help directly. I think you'll have to physically get to your machine and login from the local console to do anything..

-- MattWilkie - 25 Apr 2004

04/25/04 11:21:51 <DaveKnigh> what do you think
04/25/04 11:22:17 <sven> i think someone wrote a very scary script
04/25/04 11:22:26 <sven> hope like hell it wasn't me
04/25/04 11:22:26 <DaveKnigh> ah I see
04/25/04 11:22:44 <DaveKnigh> do you see the one I mean
04/25/04 11:22:54 <sven> if $TWikiDIR and $dir are empty
04/25/04 11:23:28 <sven> then you've just chowned all the files in your system to $USER.$GROUP

... and the conversation went on from there[*]. some progress was made, Dave was eventually able to run some commands like chmod and chown however ftp and ssh, and likey numerous others, stayed broken. When they finally gave up for the evening it seemed likely that the only cure was to restore from a backup or do a reinstall (a viable option in this particular scenario since the server is still new and not use much yet).

MS later observed that with SuSE Linux there is a script for restoring broken system permissions.

• [*] http://koala.ilog.fr/twikiirc/bin/irclogger_logs/twiki (when koala is back online again)

In short, the moral of the story is don't do that!

I've taken the scary script out of the TWikiInstallationGuide proper but not deleted it in the hopes that it can be made to work safely.

-- MattWilkie - 26 Apr 2004