chown(1)                   (Essential Utilities)                   chown(1)


   NAME
         chown - change file owner

   SYNOPSIS
         chown [-R] [-h] owner file ...

   DESCRIPTION
         chown changes the owner of the files to owner.  The owner may be
         either a decimal user ID or a login name found in /etc/passwd file.

         If chown is invoked by other than the super-user, the set-user-ID bit
         of the file mode, 04000, is cleared.

         Only the owner of a file (or the super-user) may change the owner of
         that file.

         Valid options to chown are:

         -R    Recursive.  chown descends through the directory, and any
               subdirectories, setting the ownership ID as it proceeds.  When
               symbolic links are encountered, they are traversed.

         -h    If the file is a symbolic link, change the owner of the
               symbolic link.  Without this option, the owner of the file
               referenced by the symbolic link is changed.

         The operating system has a configuration option
         {_POSIX_CHOWN_RESTRICTED}, to restrict ownership changes.  When this
         option is in effect the owner of the file is prevented from changing
         the owner ID of the file.  Only the super-user can arbitrarily change
         owner IDs whether this option is in effect or not.

   FILES
         /etc/passwd

   SEE ALSO
         chgrp(1), chmod(1).

         chown(2), passwd(4) in the Programmer's Reference Manual

   NOTES
         In a Remote File Sharing environment, you may not have the
         permissions that the output of the ls -l command leads you to
         believe.  For more information see the ``Mapping Remote Users''
         section of the Remote File Sharing chapter of the System
         Administrator's Guide.







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