help - i chowned the whole /var directory to root

[ctbhost]

ok first thing is i am a dill
i was meaning to chown the /var/backup/ folder to root

but instead i did the whole /var/ and all sub directories to root

what is the best way to rectify this - without using a big hammer

thanks

 

[PWSowner]

You would need to look at the various ownerships on another server to compare and change them all back manually.

As far as I know, it's either a manual repair job or a reinstall.

 

[asmithjr]

Do you have another server to compare with?

If so, you could start with a command like this

cd /var
find . -ls | awk '{printf "chown %s:%s %s\n",$5,$6,$11}' > /tmp/mychown

this will create a file in /tmp called mychown that has lines like

chown root:root ./cpanel/zonetemplates/simple

The file will be based on your other servers ownerships

 

[ctbhost]

a decided to reinstall

but thanks for your assistance