UNIX for Dummies Questions & Answers

On my Mac OS X machine, I would like to edit the httpd.conf Apache configuration file. When I open the file up in TextEdit or even VI, I get an error that there was an error saving the file. I tried "su root" and that still does not work. I heard that the "chown" command can change the file permissions but I come from a Microsoft Windows background and I do not know how to use this command, so could someone please post a reply to this message that has instructions on how to change the permissions? Thank you for your time.

If you boot from OS 9, you can do whatever you want to that file. Be careful! Additionally, if you follow file path /Applications/Utilities/NetInfo Manager and launch NetInfo Manager, you can follow the menu path Domain>Security to setup and enable the root user on your maching, aka the superuser. WRITE THE ROOT USER PASSWORD DOWN AND PUT IT IN A SAFE PLACE! DO *NOT* PROCEED UNTIL THIS IS DONE! After this is done, choose "Logout" from the Apple menu and log back in as the superuser by clicking on "Other" and typing in "root" as the username and the password you assigned. If "Other" does not appera, choose "System Preferences" from the Apple menu and go to the Users pane; you will be able to control what shows in the login window there. Once you are logged in as the superuser, all application programs, including the Finder, Terminal, and everything else launches with root access, and you can do pretty much whatever you want, but, again, BE CAREFUL. If you tell UNIX to do something silly, it won't second-guess you--it'll just do it, often before you even realize it's started.

I logged in as root to edit the /etc/httpd/httpd.conf file and it still says that it cannot save the file. Should I start up into Single-User mode and then work from there??

Did you try editing a copy of the file, and then replacing the original with the edited version? If so, I'm out of suggestions except for booting up from OS 9 and editing the file with SimpleText.

I cannot boot in Mac OS 9 to make the change becuase the file is /etc/httpd/httpd.conf and is only accessible through Mac OS X because of UNIX. I will try your suggestion of copy/replace and see if it works.

First of all. You do not need to enable login of the 'root' user to act as the superuser (do not enable root if you do not knwo very well what you are doing).

Simply use a:
'sudo cp /etc/httpd/httpd.conf /etc/httpd/httpd.conf2'

and a:

'sudo vi /etc/httpd/httpd.conf'

without the quotes, type your password and you run the command (either cp or vi) as root.

Also, check out the manual 'man sudo'.


do a 'ls -l /etc/httpd/httpd.conf' to check the exact permissions of the file. That will give you a clue why you can't edit the file.


dani++

does the cp command copy the file as a backup?