# why i cannot remove this file /etc/yum.repos.d/redhat-rhui,repo even with the root permission.

**URL:** <https://forum.ansible.com/t/why-i-cannot-remove-this-file-etc-yum-repos-d-redhat-rhui-repo-even-with-the-root-permission/29751>\
**Category:** Ansible Project\
**Tags:** rhel, aws\
**Created:** [February 22, 2019, 11:28pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/why-i-cannot-remove-this-file-etc-yum-repos-d-redhat-rhui-repo-even-with-the-root-permission/29751 "2019-02-22T23:28:09Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Jason\_Yu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e274bd/32.png) [@Jason\_Yu](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Jason_Yu)\
**Post date:** [February 22, 2019, 11:28pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/why-i-cannot-remove-this-file-etc-yum-repos-d-redhat-rhui-repo-even-with-the-root-permission/29751/1 "2019-02-22T23:28:09Z")

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Dear Ansible Gurus and friends:

I have the following ansible script to remove the default AWS repos on an new created RHEL ec2 instance from Packer.

It works well untill the “Remove AWS RHUI repos” module. For some reason, the privilege escalation doesn’t work for this native file module. However, if I use the command module with a sudo command, it works fine as " sudo rm -rf /etc/yum.repos.d/redhat-rhui.repo"

I could not figure out why it behaves like this. Could anyone help me with this ? I have been stucked here for a few days for deliver this Packer script with ansible calls.

- name: Configure BASE Linux Servers  
hosts: linux  
gather\_facts: true  
become: yes  
become\_user: root  
become\_method: su  
pre\_tasks:

- name: Debug  
raw: sleep 1

- name: get the username running the deploy  
become: false  
local\_action: command whoami  
register: username\_on\_the\_host

- debug: var=username\_on\_the\_host

- name: Show /etc/ssh/sshd\_config file content  
command: sudo cat /etc/ssh/sshd\_config  
register: cat  
become: yes  
become\_method: su  
become\_user: root

- debug: var=cat.stdout\_lines

- name: Remove AWS RHUI repos  
file:  
path: “{{ item }}”  
state: absent  
force: yes  
with\_items:

- /etc/yum.repos.d/redhat-rhui.repo

- /etc/yum.repos.d/rhui-load-balancers.conf

- /etc/yum.repos.d/redhat-rhui-client-config.repo

- /etc/yum/pluginconf.d/amazon-id.conf

- /etc/yum/pluginconf.d/rhui-lb.conf

roles:

- { role: linux\_common, tags: linux\_common }
- { role: deep\_security\_agent, tags: deep\_security\_agent }

The error is like below:

amazon-ebs: TASK [Remove AWS RHUI repos] \*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*  
amazon-ebs: failed: [default] (item=/etc/yum.repos.d/redhat-rhui.repo) =\> {“changed”: false, “gid”: 0, “group”: “root”, “item”: “/etc/yum.repos.d/redhat-rhui.repo”, “mode”: “0644”, “msg”: "unlinking failed: **[Errno 13]**  **Permission denied: ‘/etc/yum.repos.d/redhat-rhui.repo’ ",** “owner”: “root”, “path”: “/etc/yum.repos.d/redhat-rhui.repo”, “secontext”: “system\_u:object\_r:system\_conf\_t:s0”, “size”: 8679, “state”: “file”, “uid”: 0}  
amazon-ebs: failed: [default] (item=/etc/yum.repos.d/rhui-load-balancers.conf) =\> {“changed”: false, “gid”: 0, “group”: “root”, “item”: “/etc/yum.repos.d/rhui-load-balancers.conf”, “mode”: “0644”, “msg”: "unlinking failed: [Errno 13] Permission denied: ‘/etc/yum.repos.d/rhui-load-balancers.conf’ ", “owner”: “root”, “path”: “/etc/yum.repos.d/rhui-load-balancers.conf”, “secontext”: “system\_u:object\_r:system\_conf\_t:s0”, “size”: 80, “state”: “file”, “uid”: 0}  
amazon-ebs: failed: [default] (item=/etc/yum.repos.d/redhat-rhui-client-config.repo) =\> {“changed”: false, “gid”: 0, “group”: “root”, “item”: “/etc/yum.repos.d/redhat-rhui-client-config.repo”, “mode”: “0644”, “msg”: "unlinking failed: [Errno 13] Permission denied: ‘/etc/yum.repos.d/redhat-rhui-client-config.repo’ ", “owner”: “root”, “path”: “/etc/yum.repos.d/redhat-rhui-client-config.repo”, “secontext”: “system\_u:object\_r:system\_conf\_t:s0”, “size”: 607, “state”: “file”, “uid”: 0}  
amazon-ebs: failed: [default] (item=/etc/yum/pluginconf.d/amazon-id.conf) =\> {“changed”: false, “gid”: 0, “group”: “root”, “item”: “/etc/yum/pluginconf.d/amazon-id.conf”, “mode”: “0644”, “msg”: "unlinking failed: [Errno 13] Permission denied: ‘/etc/yum/pluginconf.d/amazon-id.conf’ ", “owner”: “root”, “path”: “/etc/yum/pluginconf.d/amazon-id.conf”, “secontext”: “system\_u:object\_r:etc\_t:s0”, “size”: 17, “state”: “file”, “uid”: 0}  
amazon-ebs: failed: [default] (item=/etc/yum/pluginconf.d/rhui-lb.conf) =\> {“changed”: false, “gid”: 0, “group”: “root”, “item”: “/etc/yum/pluginconf.d/rhui-lb.conf”, “mode”: “0644”, “msg”: "unlinking failed: [Errno 13] Permission denied: ‘/etc/yum/pluginconf.d/rhui-lb.conf’ ", “owner”: “root”, “path”: “/etc/yum/pluginconf.d/rhui-lb.conf”, “secontext”: “system\_u:object\_r:etc\_t:s0”, “size”: 74, “state”: “file”, “uid”: 0}  
amazon-ebs: to retry, use: --limit @/workdir/Ansible/playbooks/common/Configure\_Base\_Linux.retry  
amazon-ebs:  
amazon-ebs: PLAY RECAP \*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*  
amazon-ebs: default : ok=6 changed=3 unreachable=0 failed=1  
amazon-ebs:  
==\> amazon-ebs: Terminating the source AWS instance…  
==\> amazon-ebs: Cleaning up any extra volumes…  
==\> amazon-ebs: No volumes to clean up, skipping  
==\> amazon-ebs: Deleting temporary security group…  
==\> amazon-ebs: Deleting temporary keypair…  
Build ‘amazon-ebs’ errored: Error executing Ansible: Non-zero exit status: exit status 2

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Jason\_Yu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e274bd/32.png) [@Jason\_Yu](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Jason_Yu)\
**Post date:** [February 22, 2019, 11:37pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/why-i-cannot-remove-this-file-etc-yum-repos-d-redhat-rhui-repo-even-with-the-root-permission/29751/2 "2019-02-22T23:37:13Z")

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Here is the output with --vvv option:

amazon-ebs: TASK [Remove AWS RHUI repos] \*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*  
amazon-ebs: failed: [default] (item=/etc/yum.repos.d/redhat-rhui.repo) =\> {“changed”: false, “gid”: 0, “group”: “root”, “item”: “/etc/yum.repos.d/redhat-rhui.repo”, “mode”: “0644”, “msg”: "unlinking failed: [Errno 13] Permission denied: ‘/etc/yum.repos.d/redhat-rhui.repo’ ", “owner”: “root”, “path”: “/etc/yum.repos.d/redhat-rhui.repo”, “secontext”: “system\_u:object\_r:system\_conf\_t:s0”, “size”: 8679, “state”: “file”, “uid”: 0}  
amazon-ebs: failed: [default] (item=/etc/yum.repos.d/rhui-load-balancers.conf) =\> {“changed”: false, “gid”: 0, “group”: “root”, “item”: “/etc/yum.repos.d/rhui-load-balancers.conf”, “mode”: “0644”, “msg”: "unlinking failed: [Errno 13] Permission denied: ‘/etc/yum.repos.d/rhui-load-balancers.conf’ ", “owner”: “root”, “path”: “/etc/yum.repos.d/rhui-load-balancers.conf”, “secontext”: “system\_u:object\_r:system\_conf\_t:s0”, “size”: 80, “state”: “file”, “uid”: 0}  
amazon-ebs: failed: [default] (item=/etc/yum.repos.d/redhat-rhui-client-config.repo) =\> {“changed”: false, “gid”: 0, “group”: “root”, “item”: “/etc/yum.repos.d/redhat-rhui-client-config.repo”, “mode”: “0644”, “msg”: "unlinking failed: [Errno 13] Permission denied: ‘/etc/yum.repos.d/redhat-rhui-client-config.repo’ ", “owner”: “root”, “path”: “/etc/yum.repos.d/redhat-rhui-client-config.repo”, “secontext”: “system\_u:object\_r:system\_conf\_t:s0”, “size”: 607, “state”: “file”, “uid”: 0}  
amazon-ebs: failed: [default] (item=/etc/yum/pluginconf.d/amazon-id.conf) =\> {“changed”: false, “gid”: 0, “group”: “root”, “item”: “/etc/yum/pluginconf.d/amazon-id.conf”, “mode”: “0644”, “msg”: "unlinking failed: [Errno 13] Permission denied: ‘/etc/yum/pluginconf.d/amazon-id.conf’ ", “owner”: “root”, “path”: “/etc/yum/pluginconf.d/amazon-id.conf”, “secontext”: “system\_u:object\_r:etc\_t:s0”, “size”: 17, “state”: “file”, “uid”: 0}  
amazon-ebs: failed: [default] (item=/etc/yum/pluginconf.d/rhui-lb.conf) =\> {“changed”: false, “gid”: 0, “group”: “root”, “item”: “/etc/yum/pluginconf.d/rhui-lb.conf”, “mode”: “0644”, “msg”: "unlinking failed: [Errno 13] Permission denied: ‘/etc/yum/pluginconf.d/rhui-lb.conf’ ", “owner”: “root”, “path”: “/etc/yum/pluginconf.d/rhui-lb.conf”, “secontext”: “system\_u:object\_r:etc\_t:s0”, “size”: 74, “state”: “file”, “uid”: 0}  
amazon-ebs: to retry, use: --limit @/workdir/Ansible/playbooks/common/Configure\_Base\_Linux.retry  
amazon-ebs:  
amazon-ebs: PLAY RECAP \*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*  
amazon-ebs: default : ok=6 changed=3 unreachable=0 failed=1  
amazon-ebs:  
==\> amazon-ebs: Terminating the source AWS instance…  
==\> amazon-ebs: Cleaning up any extra volumes…  
==\> amazon-ebs: No volumes to clean up, skipping  
==\> amazon-ebs: Deleting temporary security group…  
==\> amazon-ebs: Deleting temporary keypair…  
Build ‘amazon-ebs’ errored: Error executing Ansible: Non-zero exit status: exit status 2

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Jason\_Yu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e274bd/32.png) [@Jason\_Yu](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Jason_Yu)\
**Post date:** [February 23, 2019, 5:21am UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/why-i-cannot-remove-this-file-etc-yum-repos-d-redhat-rhui-repo-even-with-the-root-permission/29751/3 "2019-02-23T05:21:06Z")

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_I got it reoslved by using a different user. running packer under root will not escalate the privilege to root. not sure if it’s a bug or something._