Need Help with FTP 553 Error "Permission Denied" (unsolved)

[IceFlame1019]

I just did a search but there are no definite solutions to this error, at least none that my browser/ISP will let me view without getting "This page cannot be displayed".

To sum it up, I cannot add files to my /workspace/data/notes folder (but I can do so to the /data folder). Additionally, I cannot delete files from the /notes folder. I also cannot replace the favicon file in /public_html. Every time I try to do any of these (adding or deleting these files) I get:

Response: 553-Can't open that file: Permission denied
Response: 553 Rename/move failure: No such file or directory

I've used SmartFTP, FileZilla and FireFTP, they all give me the same error. I don't understand why I can't add files to /data/notes; I was able to when I first started. The favicon problem has been there since day 1, but this problem with adding to the /notes folder is new.


BTW why is there a copy of /workspace under /public_html now? Do I upload stuff there instead? (i get the same errors either way, under /public_html or /workspace)


EDIT: Okay, this is messed up; now I'm getting the error every time I try to do ANYTHING. I can't upload files to any of the folders, nor can I delete anything. All three FTPs are giving me that 553 error

EDIT2: ...This is weirding me out.
I just succeeded in uploading my new indextemplate and other pages with no problem, but as soon as I try to upload to /notes, all three FTPs kinda...shut down. They lose connection every time I try to do anything beyond that. Is there an issue with the /notes system? (still can't replace the favicon though)
I just tested this several times over, the problems only appears when I a) try to replace/delete the favicon.ico file in /public_html, or b) upload/delete notes in the /workspace/data/notes directory.

EDIT3: I tried this morning from my local library, and just now from work; the problem is persistent, so it's not an ISP issue...is there some hidden firewall nuance I don't know of? or is something wacko with my account/CG's server thing that controls this?

[IceFlame1019]

Is there an edit cap on posts or something? 0o
I can't edit the first post again.

Anyway, my ISP finally let me do some real searching for a short time, so I looked up these programs and the 553 error. It seems I need my permissions set at 777; however, something has changed the /notes folder to 555 (the "write" boxes are unchecked). I get the same error again telling me it can't set permissions if I try to set the folder or its contents to 777. Some forums mentioned that a server admin may need to set permissions for users having permissions problems; is that the case here?

[IceFlame1019]

5 days and no one can help? Sorry if I seem rude when I say this but this makes me not want to come here for help :S
Is just a tip or maybe a link to a helpful site too much to ask?

Just a pointer or something? Anyone? I'm still getting the same errors; I've been able to update the site itself just fine, but I can't add/delete notes or change/delete the /notes folder without getting "550" or "553" errors. I also want to change my favicon but are the tips I've found via Search outdated now? (IE just upload the 16x16 .ico file to /public?)

[VeryCuddlyCornpone]

It's possible that no one quite knows how to help you with this particular problem... they're not not answering you out of malice, it's just they don't want to make unhelpful posts like the one I'm making now that don't actually get you anywhere. Hopefully someone will find this thread that knows how to help you, sorry that I can't.

[IceFlame1019]

I know it's not out of malice or anything, but I just find it surprising that no one "can help" if that's the case. Surely someone here knows what the problem is or knows where I can go for help.

[Dr Neo Lao]

I normally don't post when I don't know as there is not much point making a post saying "I don't know".

I use Filezilla and don't have any problems with CG, nor do I get any permission errors. It may have something to do with me using an older version (3.1.0.1) instead of the latest one, it might not. It might make a difference that I am using Linux, it might not. I can't replicate your error, so I don't know what is causing it and what a possible solution would be. The only suggestion I have you've already tried (different computer).

...is there a copy of /workspace under /public_html now?

Yes. This is where it has always been. There are also two "images" folders which are actually one folder and a few other things like that which is why people are told not to delete folders under any circumstances. Creating a deleted folder does not re-create the previous structure which is why comics break when folders are deleted.

I can't upload files to any of the folders, nor can I delete anything.

I haven't seen this problem before, nor is anyone else reporting it. This makes me think the problem is on your end, though your stuff is probably working fine. So it is probably a combination of factors.

Any permission errors are pretty much beyond the capabilities of any of the regular staff because only Kisai and STrRedWolf have access to the back end. Your best bet at this stage is to try and get in contact with them first so that they can give your account the once-over and see if there are any anomalies...

[IceFlame1019]

Thanks for the info

I usually try not to bug admins, seeing how they hafta deal with a lot, but I guess i have no choice with this issue ><

[Kisai]

Thanks for the info

I usually try not to bug admins, seeing how they hafta deal with a lot, but I guess i have no choice with this issue ><

If nobody is able to answer the question, and it sounds like a permission problem, an admin would have to fix it anyway.

Basically the problem with permissions is that they are set and creation and can't be changed after the fact. A common trend among multiple accounts reporting the same issue means there is a serious problem, where as when only one person reports the problem ,often indicates a problem with that user's account or their software.

your first clue was favicon . This should be overwriteable.

[IceFlame1019]

><

got your PM and just replied to it; if the permissions can't be fixed, does that mean I'll have to re-apply and start all over?

[IceFlame1019]

I still cannot do anything with the favicon or the /notes folder after all this time. I was hoping to be able to use the ***todays_notes*** for either comic image development logs or for updating the Cast page since I want it to update according to the comic's progression, but as is I have to manually change everything. It's not that I'm lazy, I can do the manual stuff as needed, but I was hoping I could get this resolved so I could save some time in my busy schedule.

Basically, all I want to know now is, is this permissions problem able to be fixed by admin since I'm powerless on my end, or will I need to have the stuff pulled down and start all over? (I sure hope the latter won't be necessary @@)

Kisai, I've been PMing you about this but something leads me to believe you haven't gotten them (doesn't surprise me, my ISP seems to have a thing about forums).

[IceFlame1019]

okay, I'm sorry but I find this ridiculous and frankly unacceptable. Who am I supposed to go to for help with this? Kisai's not responding; my PMs are still in my outbox after almost three weeks now. I sent a question to STrRedWolf but no response. I've had this problem with server permissions for over a month now and it's still unresolved. I've been told to PM the admin about this, but what good is it if admin don't respond? What good is it requesting help if there's no one who knows this stuff or people are too busy or w/e to respond or help? I honestly don't get this.
"Okay, try again and tell me if it works"
"It's not working still"
*no response for weeks*
"Hi? Still having problems"
*no response, outbox hasn't changed*

Do I need to kill my site and re-apply and start over from scratch, or can/will this problem be fixed by an administrator? That's all I want to know at the moment! If I'm not supposed to be having these problems, then who can fix them since I can't do anything about it on my end, or what options/workarounds do I have available?

I know this might seem like a minor problem since /notes and favicons aren't exactly a site priority, but the slowness/nonexistence of responses makes me incredibly doubtful of receiving help if a serious problem arises (like permissions getting messed up in the /workspace/webpages folder or something), and the fact that I'm having these problems makes me nervous about the possibility of more issues in the future. I've been told that I shouldn't even be having these problems, which makes me even more wary. I didn't do anything to the /notes folder to change the permissions, I was unaware of the existence of permissions until I looked up the error code, so if something in the server messed it up, what's stopping the same glitch or bug or w/e from happening to a more essential folder?

I'm not able to load most other areas of this forum, so if there are updates about Kisai or others being busy on server stuff, I can't know since I can't view the topics. I also can't load the chats here at work due to the proxy security, which is how I got in touch with Kisai earlier about my problem with comic pages not showing up. But no responses since the 8th of this month, and no one else to go to about this issue?

Sorry for the rant but at this point in time my patience is rather thin-strung. I don't like being told to go to people and then not receive help from them and have no idea what's causing the hangup. I understand if Kisai and others are busy, but there's gotta be someone else who can help me with this if the main people in charge have their hands full! If Kisai's the one in charge of this and is too busy to help with this bug for three weeks, isn't there someone else I can go to who can try to fix this?

[FullmetalKitsune]

Ah, I'm glad I'm not the only one with the permissions errors.

I just got my auth for password and such on my new account (kibou.comicgenesis.com) - I'm unable to write files to (what should be) my directories. It's a bit of a pain since I can't do a danged thing, ya know?


How long is it gonna take someone to assign file ownership of the directories?
I'd really like to get things up and going ASAP.

Thanks!

[IceFlame1019]

Okay, Kisai got back to me and now I'm an idiot. For the record though I was unaware that the PMs needed specific subject lines, as I haven't encountered this on a forum before.

But still, for such a large community like this I'm surprised that Kisai is the only one I've been told to go to for problems like this 0o

EDIT

Ah, I'm glad I'm not the only one with the permissions errors.

I just got my auth for password and such on my new account (kibou.comicgenesis.com) - I'm unable to write files to (what should be) my directories. It's a bit of a pain since I can't do a danged thing, ya know?


How long is it gonna take someone to assign file ownership of the directories?
I'd really like to get things up and going ASAP.

Thanks!

Are you getting 550/553 Permission Denied errors too? With which folders? Are you able to set the permissions or does it not allow you?

[FullmetalKitsune]

Not allowed to set permissions, period.

It's gotten a little better since yesterday - not sure what happened, but I can now can write to everything in my workspace directory...! (Big improvement - at least I was able to rig everything for updates!)
Still not able to do a whole heck of a lot with public_html - it'd be nice to be able to at least upload a new favico and stylesheet...

[Dr Neo Lao]

But still, for such a large community like this I'm surprised that Kisai is the only one I've been told to go to for problems like this 0o

It's the nature of the beast. Kisai and STrRedWolf are the only paid employees of Comic Genesis (a subsidiary of KeenSpot entertainment, formerly known as KeenSpace). All other "staff" that you see around the community are unpaid volunteers who help out as much as they can. Some are mods in the forum, but that's about as far as it goes. Anything that has to do with the backend or needs access to comic accounts to fix needs to go through Kisai or STrRedWolf (plus they have their day jobs as well!).

The permissions come about due to a tightening up of the settings after a server upgrade around 2007. Prior to this, people could do pretty much anything in their accounts and it lead to a lot of problems due to the folder structure. The most common example of this was people deleting the "images" folder because they wanted to call it something else - then finding that their comic would not work. The "images" folder appears twice - in the public_html section and in the workspace section - but here's the trick. It's the same folder! And once deleted, it could not be fixed by users simply by creating a new folder called images.

There are a few other pitfalls like this, after after years of playing Nanny, STrRedWolf turned off the permissions in the public_html side. This has meant less time cleaning up and fixing simple errors (that have several "do not touch" messages in the documentation in the CGWiki, but nobody reads that until after the fact!) but it also makes some things a little harder.

Changing the stylesheet is fairly straightforward. Simply create a new css file (with a different name) and change the links in your template(s). This will cause your account to use the new css, though the old css hangs around in the background as an orphaned file. Changing the favicon is slightly harder, though putting a new one up in the workspace/webpages folder ought to do the trick.

Apologies for the history lesson...

[FullmetalKitsune]

The history lesson was actually much appreciated. I have another comic that's been on CG for a while (and I have not altered the layout), so I was unaware that had occured!

Thank you. That actually makes my life a lot easier, now that I know.

[IceFlame1019]

that all helps to know, and it makes sense that /public.html would be unchangeable. I just don't get why the permissions got messed up in my /notes folder in /workspace.

On that note, Kisai's tried a few times but I still can't do anything with my /workspace/data/notes folder, and without that convenience, given my schedule it's gonna be a hassle for me to constantly manually update with the new project I have to work on...I guess I'll use my CG account for Deepest Winter as a basic mirror and get another copy site going on Smack Jeeves or Comic Dish.

I just hope the permissions for my /notes folder CAN be resolved :s

[FullmetalKitsune]

I know this probably sounds like a sucky solution, but have you tried copying all the files to your computer and deleting/recreating the folder in FTP? :X
Or it won't let you at all...?

...Hmm. (It's not a great solution, but it's worked in the past for me on a particularly picky server I had access to...)

[IceFlame1019]

There's only one file in it, and the permissions setting prohibits me from doing ANYthing with it. I can't change the name, add/delete files or folders, or remove the folder itself without getting the 553 Permission Denied error. Trying to set the permissions from their current setting of 0555 to the original and needed setting of 0777 gives me another error saying the permissions can't be changed.