I'm not quite sure wether or not this is a bug; It might as well be that I'm missing the point here. Anyway, I just installed vixie-cron by running "emerge vixie-cron". Now /usr/bin/crontab looks like this: # ls -al /usr/bin/crontab -rws--x--- 1 root root 31932 Jan 13 20:53 /usr/bin/crontab This way, only root can use crontab, normal users get this: $ crontab -bash: /usr/bin/crontab: Permission denied According to some comments in the /etc/cron.deny file, users in the "cron"-group should be able to normally run crontab: [quote] # $Id: vixie-cron-4.1-cron.deny,v 1.1 2004/08/28 00:51:46 ciaranm Exp $ # If for any reason you have users in the 'cron' group who should not # be allowed to run crontab, add them to this file (one username per # line) [/quote] In other words: add your users to the "cron" group, and they'll be able to run crontab. This is however not the case; if you want this to work, then the ownership of /usr/bin/crontab should be this: # ls -al /usr/bin/crontab -rws--x--- 1 root cron 31932 Jan 13 20:53 /usr/bin/crontab This can be done with two commands: # chgrp cron /usr/bin/crontab to change the group # chmod u+s /usr/bin/crontab to re-set the suid bit (which disappears when you chgrp the file) After I did that, normal users can use crontab (after they've been added to the cron-group ofcourse). Reproducible: Always Steps to Reproduce: 1.emerge vixie-cron 2.su to a non-privileged user 3.crontab Actual Results: $ crontab -l -bash: /usr/bin/crontab: Permission denied Expected Results: $ crontab -l # DO NOT EDIT THIS FILE - edit the master and reinstall. # (mycron installed on Thu Jan 13 21:05:25 2005) # (Cron version V5.0 -- $Id: crontab.c,v 1.12 2004/01/23 18:56:42 vixie Exp $) [etc]
The <a href=http://www.gentoo.org/doc/en/cron-guide.xml>guide</a> says that you should put in /etc/cron.allow all users permitted to use vixie-cron. Perhaps the comments in /etc/cron.deny are misleading but this is not a problem with portage.
my /usr/bin/crontab from vixie-cron is perfectly fine by default: # ls -l /usr/bin/crontab -rws--x--- 1 root cron 33268 Jan 9 20:50 /usr/bin/crontab I don't know why yours was root:root.
Not really sure why your crontab executable is root:root, but I highly doubt it was installed that way... straight from the ebuild (line 90): insopts -o root -g cron -m 4750 ; doins crontab >>> ll /usr/bin/crontab -rws--x--- 1 root cron 29K Dec 17 06:26 /usr/bin/crontab
There was a bug in earlier versions which would cause the file to be installed with silly permissions. Once a file's installed, portage won't change its permissions. Check the FEATURES section of man 5 make.conf for various permission-related settings that'll override this.
