ownership of blogs.dir folders

  • When WP Multisite is enabled, the media files are stored in subfolders of blogs.dir with the file structure: blogs.dir/blog_id_number/files/year/month/filename.xxx.

    The sub folders of blogs.dir all have ownership set so that a typical FTP client can’t upload to those folders, although uploading files via WP works just fine.

    My problem with this state of affairs is that it makes it impossible to restore (in case of disaster) because the FTP client can’t move files into folders whose ownership is set the way WP sets it when blogs.dir is created.

    So, my questions are:

    1. Can the user:group ownership of these folders be safely changed to something else? If so, what?
    2. If not, is there a workaround so that files CAN move moved into these folders in another way besides an FTP client?

Viewing 6 replies - 1 through 6 (of 6 total)
  • Moderator Ipstenu (Mika Epstein)

    (@ipstenu)

    ?????? Advisor and Activist

    1) Yes, mine are 755, but you may need 777 depending on your server.

    As a sidebar, your PHP setup may be what’s goobering it. Mine creates folders etc as my user ID, so I can always do what I want, but for a while, it made ’em as nobody, which was a pill and a half to fix :/ You may need to check with your host about php settings.

    It’s not WordPress, it is indeed the way the user:group ownership is set on them now.

    If you’re only asking about the FTP permissions in case of restore, then… how are you backing up? Usually a server backup method negates the nee dfor ftp (which is far lass secure than sftp).

    User:group on many standard servers is the web account owner.

    Thread Starter camner

    (@camner)

    Thanks for your replies. I’m NOT asking about FTP permissions…the issue is ownership. It doesn’t matter what the permissions are set to (even 777!), the folders aren’t accessible via FTP client because the ownership prohibits it.

    As for backup, I can certainly back up on the server to the same server, but that doesn’t help in case of a server loss or corruption. I’d like to move these files “off host” from time to time, just in case.

    Then it’s CHOWN, and if you can’t login to change that, it’s really an issue with your host.

    WordPress didn’t create the blogs.dir folder – you did during the install. No idea why your setup won’t let you.

    So basically what Ipstenu said – find out the older of those folders first.

    Thread Starter camner

    (@camner)

    You are far more expert than I with WordPress, but I’m a bit confused by your statement that “WordPress didn’t create the blogs.dir folder.” The install folder (called “WordPress” that I downloaded from the WP site does NOT have a “blogs.dir” folder in the wp-content folder. After uploading the WP files to my server and running the install procedure, the blogs.dir folder appeared. So, wasn’t it WP that created the folders during the install process? I know I did not create them myself!

    I am going to ask my webhost to enable SSH access for my account, which will allow me to examine and change folder ownership. From Googling around, it seems that I have the potential to break WP in the process! Any words of advice on how the ownership of blogs.dir and the subfolders should be configured to allow FTP access into those folders?

    . After uploading the WP files to my server and running the install procedure, the blogs.dir folder appeared. So, wasn’t it WP that created the folders during the install process?

    It’s quite possible your host did something, as it is outlined clearly in the instructions as well as in the Network install screen. ??

    Make sure it’s chowned by the web account user.

Viewing 6 replies - 1 through 6 (of 6 total)
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