# Can't set ownership to system user **URL:** \ **Category:** Ansible Project\ **Tags:** ubuntu\ **Created:** [September 15, 2016, 12:10pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/cant-set-ownership-to-system-user/22555 "2016-09-15T12:10:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![user74](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ce73a5/32.png) [@user74](https://forum.ansible.com/u/user74)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2016, 12:10pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/cant-set-ownership-to-system-user/22555/1 "2016-09-15T12:10:14Z")
Hello. I have a server with Ubuntu Server 16.04.1. I test some ansible features on it from my desktop with Ubuntu 16.04.1. So I have system user “www-data” for Apache with uid=33(www-data) gid=33(www-data) groups=33(www-data). I have directory /var/www/html/wordpress that I want to set permissions to the system user/group “www-data”. I write that in playbook: file: path=/var/www/html/wordpress owner=www-data group=www-data mode=775 state=directory recurse=yes So when I check the permissions of directory /var/www/html/wordpress I see that the owner is “1001” and group is “1001”. But I haven’t the user and group with uid and gid 1001. And this is the problem. What can I do? ---
**Author:** ![user74](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ce73a5/32.png) [@user74](https://forum.ansible.com/u/user74)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2016, 8:06am UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/cant-set-ownership-to-system-user/22555/2 "2016-09-16T08:06:14Z")
Please, help. ---
**Author:** ![Kai\_Stian\_Olstad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e19adc/32.png) [@Kai\_Stian\_Olstad](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Kai_Stian_Olstad)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2016, 4:40pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/cant-set-ownership-to-system-user/22555/3 "2016-09-16T16:40:48Z")
> Hello. > I have a server with Ubuntu Server 16.04.1. I test some ansible features on > it from my desktop with Ubuntu 16.04.1. > So I have system user "www-data" for Apache with uid=33(www-data) > gid=33(www-data) groups=33(www-data). > I have directory /var/www/html/wordpress that I want to set permissions to > the system user/group "www-data". > I write that in playbook: > file: path=/var/www/html/wordpress owner=www-data group=www-data mode=775 > state=directory recurse=yes Mode should always start with a 0 since it's a octal. To change the owner and group you need to be root to allow that. > So when I check the permissions of directory /var/www/html/wordpress I see > that the owner is "1001" and group is "1001". But I haven't the user and > group with uid and gid 1001. And this is the problem. > What can I do? Since you have provided little information about how you run this it's hard for people to help. Which user are you using, are you using become, what is the output of ansible-playbook -vvvv \ ---
**Author:** ![Alexander\_H\_Laughlin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ce7236/32.png) [@Alexander\_H\_Laughlin](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Alexander_H_Laughlin)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2016, 6:56am UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/cant-set-ownership-to-system-user/22555/4 "2016-09-17T06:56:42Z")
Also, since a version prior to 2.0 it’s been possible to specify the mode using non-octal notation. That is: `mode=ug+rw,o-rwx` Or, in a playbook: ` - name: Update permissions on a file. file: dest: /path/to/file owner: user group: group mode: ug+rw,o-rwx state: file ` Personally I prefer this method and recall being quite happy when it was implemented mostly because I just don’t like octal notation. ---
**Author:** ![user74](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ce73a5/32.png) [@user74](https://forum.ansible.com/u/user74)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2016, 7:00am UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/cant-set-ownership-to-system-user/22555/5 "2016-10-03T07:00:45Z")
Friends, you are talking not about my issue ☹ There are no answers for my question. Please, help me with my question about how to set ownership to system user. ---
**Author:** ![Brian\_Coca](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6de8d8/32.png) [@Brian\_Coca](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Brian_Coca)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2016, 2:34pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/cant-set-ownership-to-system-user/22555/6 "2016-10-03T14:34:25Z")
Алексей, Is the directory mounted from another system (nfs)? That can cause the disparity you see if the nfs exporter does not have same UID-\>user mappings as the nfs client system. ---
**Author:** ![user74](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ce73a5/32.png) [@user74](https://forum.ansible.com/u/user74)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2016, 7:47pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/cant-set-ownership-to-system-user/22555/7 "2016-10-03T19:47:40Z")
There are no any nfs shares. ---
**Author:** ![user74](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ce73a5/32.png) [@user74](https://forum.ansible.com/u/user74)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2016, 4:39pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/cant-set-ownership-to-system-user/22555/8 "2016-10-06T16:39:21Z")
So. Can someone help me? ---
**Author:** ![Phonthip\_Namkaew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/eada6e/32.png) [@Phonthip\_Namkaew](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Phonthip_Namkaew)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2016, 7:10pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/cant-set-ownership-to-system-user/22555/9 "2016-10-06T19:10:39Z")
Try mode=0775 What is the output of \< getent passwd \> on that server ? ---
**Author:** ![user74](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ce73a5/32.png) [@user74](https://forum.ansible.com/u/user74)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2016, 6:53am UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/cant-set-ownership-to-system-user/22555/10 "2016-10-07T06:53:11Z")
In my first message I said that I have already used mode=775. Output of getent passwd: root:x:0:0:root:/root:/bin/bash daemon:x:1:1:daemon:/usr/sbin:/usr/sbin/nologin bin:x:2:2:bin:/bin:/usr/sbin/nologin sys:x:3:3:sys:/dev:/usr/sbin/nologin sync:x:4:65534:sync:/bin:/bin/sync games:x:5:60:games:/usr/games:/usr/sbin/nologin man:x:6:12:man:/var/cache/man:/usr/sbin/nologin lp:x:7:7:lp:/var/spool/lpd:/usr/sbin/nologin mail:x:8:8:mail:/var/mail:/usr/sbin/nologin news:x:9:9:news:/var/spool/news:/usr/sbin/nologin uucp:x:10:10:uucp:/var/spool/uucp:/usr/sbin/nologin proxy:x:13:13:proxy:/bin:/usr/sbin/nologin www-data:x:33:33:www-data:/var/www:/usr/sbin/nologin backup:x:34:34:backup:/var/backups:/usr/sbin/nologin list:x:38:38:Mailing List Manager:/var/list:/usr/sbin/nologin irc:x:39:39:ircd:/var/run/ircd:/usr/sbin/nologin gnats:x:41:41:Gnats Bug-Reporting System (admin):/var/lib/gnats:/usr/sbin/nologin nobody:x:65534:65534:nobody:/nonexistent:/usr/sbin/nologin systemd-timesync:x:100:102:systemd Time Synchronization,:/run/systemd:/bin/false systemd-network:x:101:103:systemd Network Management,:/run/systemd/netif:/bin/false systemd-resolve:x:102:104:systemd Resolver,:/run/systemd/resolve:/bin/false systemd-bus-proxy:x:103:105:systemd Bus Proxy,:/run/systemd:/bin/false syslog:x:104:108::/home/syslog:/bin/false \_apt:x:105:65534::/nonexistent:/bin/false messagebus:x:106:110::/var/run/dbus:/bin/false uuidd:x:107:111::/run/uuidd:/bin/false sshd:x:108:65534::/var/run/sshd:/usr/sbin/nologin statd:x:109:65534::/var/lib/nfs:/bin/false mysql:x:110:114:MySQL Server,:/nonexistent:/bin/false