Xi-Text File Permissions and Ownership

Required permissions and ownership for Xi-Text system files

How Xi-Text Uses File Permissions

Xi-Text operates as a system service with specific file ownership and permission requirements. The spooler daemon (spshed) and printer daemon (spd) must be able to read configuration, access spool files, and communicate through IPC mechanisms.

Correct permissions ensure:

Scheduler can access job and printer data
Users can submit and query jobs
Security boundaries are maintained
Accounting and logging function properly

Required User and Group

Spooler User : System user that owns Xi-Text processes and files : Default name: spooler : Must exist before installation

Spooler Group : Primary group for spooler user : Often same name: spooler : Used for group-level access control

Verify user exists:

bash

id spooler

Expected output:

uid=xxx(spooler) gid=xxx(spooler) groups=xxx(spooler)

Key Directories and Files

Spool Directory

Default location: /usr/spool/spd/

bash

drwxr-xr-x  spooler  spooler  /usr/spool/spd/

Purpose: Working directory for active job data and system state

Contains:

Job files (SP*, PF*, ER*)
System state files (spshed_jfile, spshed_pfile)
System log (spshed_reps)
User permissions file (spufile)
Memory-mapped files (if enabled)

Programs Directory

Default location: /usr/spool/progs/

bash

drwxr-xr-x  spooler  spooler  /usr/spool/progs/

Purpose: Executables, configuration, and help files

Contains:

Binary executables
Message and help files (.help)
Configuration file (Xitext-config)
Printers directory

Printers Directory

Default location: /usr/spool/progs/printers/

bash

drwxr-xr-x  spooler  spooler  /usr/spool/progs/printers/

Purpose: Printer definition directories

Contains subdirectories for each printer:

bash

drwxr-xr-x  spooler  spooler  printers/ptr1/
drwxr-xr-x  spooler  spooler  printers/ptr2/

Essential File Permissions

Spool Directory Files

Job files (SP, PF, ER*):**

bash

-rw-------  spooler  spooler  SP0000123
-rw-------  spooler  spooler  PF0000123
-rw-------  spooler  spooler  ER0000123

Permissions: 600 (owner read/write only)
Security sensitive - contain user data

State files:

bash

-rw-------  spooler  spooler  spshed_jfile
-rw-------  spooler  spooler  spshed_pfile
-rw-r--r--  spooler  spooler  spshed_reps

Job/printer state: 600 (owner only)
Log file: 644 (readable by all for diagnostics)

User permissions:

bash

-rw-r--r--  spooler  spooler  spufile
-rw-r--r--  spooler  spooler  sputmp

Permissions: 644 (readable by all)
Must be readable for permission checks

Memory-mapped files (if used):

bash

-rw-------  spooler  spooler  spmm_jobi
-rw-------  spooler  spooler  spmm_jobd
-rw-------  spooler  spooler  spmm_ptrs
-rw-------  spooler  spooler  spmm_xfer

Permissions: 600 (owner only)

Programs Directory Files

Executables:

bash

-rwxr-xr-x  spooler  spooler  spshed
-rwxr-xr-x  spooler  spooler  spd
-rwsr-xr-x  spooler  spooler  spr
-rwxr-xr-x  spooler  spooler  spq

Standard executables: 755 (executable by all)
SUID programs: 4755 (spr, sqchange, etc.)
- Critical: Must have correct SUID permissions
- Enables users to submit jobs as themselves

Help and message files:

bash

-rw-r--r--  spooler  spooler  rest.help
-rw-r--r--  spooler  spooler  spq.help
-rw-r--r--  spooler  spooler  int-config

Permissions: 644 (readable by all)
Can be owned by other users, but must be readable

Configuration:

bash

-rw-r--r--  root     root     Xitext-config

Permissions: 644 (readable by all)
Often owned by root for system-wide settings

Printer Setup Files

Setup files:

bash

-rw-r--r--  spooler  spooler  printers/ptr1/default
-rw-r--r--  spooler  spooler  printers/ptr1/a4
-rw-r--r--  spooler  spooler  printers/ptr1/.device

Permissions: 644 (readable by all)
Must be readable by spooler user

Alignment/help files:

bash

-rw-r--r--  spooler  spooler  printers/ptr1/.setpage
-rw-r--r--  spooler  spooler  printers/ptr1/-Help

Permissions: 644 (readable by all)

Checking Permissions

Quick Check Script

bash

#!/bin/bash

SPOOL_DIR="/usr/spool/spd"
PROGS_DIR="/usr/spool/progs"

echo "=== Spool Directory ==="
ls -ld ${SPOOL_DIR}
echo ""

echo "=== Key Spool Files ==="
ls -l ${SPOOL_DIR}/spshed_jfile 2>/dev/null || echo "spshed_jfile: not found"
ls -l ${SPOOL_DIR}/spshed_pfile 2>/dev/null || echo "spshed_pfile: not found"
ls -l ${SPOOL_DIR}/spshed_reps 2>/dev/null || echo "spshed_reps: not found"
ls -l ${SPOOL_DIR}/spufile 2>/dev/null || echo "spufile: not found"
echo ""

echo "=== Programs Directory ==="
ls -ld ${PROGS_DIR}
echo ""

echo "=== Key Executables ==="
ls -l ${PROGS_DIR}/spshed 2>/dev/null || echo "spshed: not found"
ls -l ${PROGS_DIR}/spd 2>/dev/null || echo "spd: not found"
ls -l ${PROGS_DIR}/spr 2>/dev/null || echo "spr: not found"
echo ""

echo "=== Printers Directory ==="
ls -ld ${PROGS_DIR}/printers 2>/dev/null || echo "printers: not found"

Individual File Checks

bash

# Check spool directory
ls -la /usr/spool/spd/

# Check key files specifically
ls -l /usr/spool/spd/spshed_jfile
ls -l /usr/spool/spd/spshed_pfile
ls -l /usr/spool/spd/spshed_reps

# Check executables
ls -l /usr/spool/progs/spshed
ls -l /usr/spool/progs/spr

# Check file sizes (zero-size indicates problems)
du -h /usr/spool/spd/spshed_*

# Verify your user context
whoami
groups

Fixing Permission Problems

⚠️ WARNING: Stop scheduler before fixing critical file permissions

bash

# Stop Xi-Text
sstop -y

Fix Spool Directory

bash

# Directory ownership and permissions
chown spooler:spooler /usr/spool/spd
chmod 755 /usr/spool/spd

# State files
chown spooler:spooler /usr/spool/spd/spshed_jfile
chown spooler:spooler /usr/spool/spd/spshed_pfile
chmod 600 /usr/spool/spd/spshed_jfile
chmod 600 /usr/spool/spd/spshed_pfile

# Log file (readable by all)
chown spooler:spooler /usr/spool/spd/spshed_reps
chmod 644 /usr/spool/spd/spshed_reps

# User permissions file
chown spooler:spooler /usr/spool/spd/spufile
chmod 644 /usr/spool/spd/spufile

# Job files (if present)
chown spooler:spooler /usr/spool/spd/SP*
chmod 600 /usr/spool/spd/SP*

Fix Programs Directory

bash

# Directory
chown spooler:spooler /usr/spool/progs
chmod 755 /usr/spool/progs

# Standard executables
chown spooler:spooler /usr/spool/progs/spshed
chown spooler:spooler /usr/spool/progs/spd
chmod 755 /usr/spool/progs/spshed
chmod 755 /usr/spool/progs/spd

# SUID executables
chown spooler:spooler /usr/spool/progs/spr
chmod 4755 /usr/spool/progs/spr

# Help files
chown spooler:spooler /usr/spool/progs/*.help
chmod 644 /usr/spool/progs/*.help

Fix Printers Directory

bash

# Main directory
chown spooler:spooler /usr/spool/progs/printers
chmod 755 /usr/spool/progs/printers

# Printer subdirectories
for pdir in /usr/spool/progs/printers/*/; do
    chown -R spooler:spooler "$pdir"
    chmod 755 "$pdir"
    chmod 644 "$pdir"/*
done

Restart Xi-Text

bash

# After fixing permissions
sstart

Symptoms of Permission Problems

Cannot Submit Jobs

Symptom: spr returns "permission denied"

Possible causes:

spr missing SUID bit
Spool directory not writable by spooler user
Job files cannot be created

Check:

bash

ls -l /usr/spool/progs/spr
ls -ld /usr/spool/spd

Cannot View Queue

Symptom: spq shows empty or "cannot access"

Possible causes:

State files not readable
User permissions file not accessible

Check:

bash

ls -l /usr/spool/spd/spshed_jfile
ls -l /usr/spool/spd/spufile

Scheduler Won't Start

Symptom: sstart fails or spshed exits immediately

Possible causes:

Cannot write to spool directory
Cannot access IPC resources
Executable permissions incorrect

Check:

bash

ls -l /usr/spool/progs/spshed
ls -ld /usr/spool/spd
tail -20 /usr/spool/spd/spshed_reps

Jobs Submitted But Don't Print

Symptom: Jobs appear in queue but never print

Possible causes:

Printer setup files not readable
Device files not accessible
Daemon cannot execute printer scripts

Check:

bash

ls -l /usr/spool/progs/printers/ptr1/*
ls -l /dev/lp0    # or appropriate device

Device File Permissions

Printer device files must be accessible to spooler user:

bash

# Serial port
ls -l /dev/ttyS0
# Should allow read/write for spooler

# Parallel port
ls -l /dev/lp0

# Network devices typically don't need special permissions

Fix Device Permissions

bash

# Add spooler to appropriate group
usermod -a -G dialout spooler    # For serial ports
usermod -a -G lp spooler         # For parallel ports

# Or make device readable/writable
chmod 660 /dev/ttyS0
chown root:spooler /dev/ttyS0

Security Considerations

SUID Programs

Several Xi-Text programs must run SUID to function:

spr - Submit jobs as user
sqchange - Modify jobs
sqdel - Delete jobs

Critical security requirement: These files must:

Be owned by spooler user
Have SUID bit set (4755)
Not be modifiable by regular users

Never:

Change ownership to root
Remove SUID bit
Make world-writable

Spool File Security

Job files contain user data and should be:

Owned by spooler
Mode 600 (not readable by others)
Stored in protected directory

Configuration File Security

System configuration can be restricted:

bash

# Make config readable only by root and spooler
chown root:spooler /usr/spool/progs/Xitext-config
chmod 640 /usr/spool/progs/Xitext-config

Zero-Size Files

Zero-size spool files indicate write failures:

bash

# Check file sizes
ls -lh /usr/spool/spd/spshed_jfile
ls -lh /usr/spool/spd/spshed_pfile

Causes:

Permission prevented write
Disk full
Filesystem corruption
Scheduler crash during write

Recovery:

Stop scheduler
Fix underlying issue
Remove zero-size files (they're unusable)
Restart scheduler (recreates files)

Alternative Spool Locations

If using non-default spool directory:

bash

# Set in environment or config
SPOOLDIR=/custom/spool/location
export SPOOLDIR

Apply same permission requirements to custom location.

Checking the System Log File - Diagnosing permission errors
IPC Resource Management - IPC permission issues
Checking File and Directory Permissions (Xi-Batch) - Similar concepts for Xi-Batch

Documentation Reference

For complete file structure details, see:

Xi-Text Administration Guide, Chapter: Files Used by Xi-Text
Xi-Text Administration Guide, Chapter: Ownership and Permissions

Labels

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Understanding package formats and selecting the right distribution type

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Xi-Text File Permissions and Ownership

How Xi-Text Uses File Permissions

Required User and Group

Key Directories and Files

Spool Directory

Programs Directory

Printers Directory

Essential File Permissions

Spool Directory Files

Programs Directory Files

Printer Setup Files

Checking Permissions

Quick Check Script

Individual File Checks

Fixing Permission Problems

Fix Spool Directory

Fix Programs Directory

Fix Printers Directory

Restart Xi-Text

Symptoms of Permission Problems

Cannot Submit Jobs

Cannot View Queue

Scheduler Won't Start

Jobs Submitted But Don't Print

Device File Permissions

Fix Device Permissions

Security Considerations

SUID Programs

Spool File Security

Configuration File Security

Zero-Size Files

Alternative Spool Locations

Related Articles

Documentation Reference

Labels