File owner is number not in passwd file and root can't change it

What are the rights for the directory? (rwxrwxrwx)????
Are there suid bits?

The rights are 755 - rwxr-xr-x. What are suid bits?

I really need this question done. It's infecting my mail account, too. I am ssh from one server to another using my personal account and su. Before I just loginned in as root and chown. Please help. M

Hvis du på nivå inne i directory og over directory kjører kommando "ls -l", hva leser du da ?

I will ls -l at work and get back with you, okay?

After typing ls -l I get: drwxr-x---  2 4294967294 sysadm    4096 Apr 18 15:55 rita

Hmm .. Not sure, but does it not mean something like: ownner 4294967294 and group sysadm ?
(and file name rita).

What kind of Linux installation is this, it's not some kind of virtual server or something like that ? Is it running under some automated administration tool ?

If you type "whoami" what do you read ?

If you type "touch rita2" and then a new "ls -l" what do you then read ?

After I typed "touch rita" as root (Permission denied as rita) I get:

drwxr-x---  2 4294967294 sysadm    4096 Apr 19 13:10 rita

Then I typed "whoami" as rita (not root) and get rita.

This happens in a log directory and did happen in the home directory but I was able to chown and chgrp as root but am not able to do the same as root in the log file.

Anyhow you chould try to do it as user root and not as user rita.

Possibly the logfile is locked because it is used by a program.

I asked you which Linux distro you use. You did not answer but in some other tread, I think you say Centos. The reason for this question is to find out if you use a Linux distro with the Selinux mod installed. Centos does. I think that the Selinux function could be a reason that you migh have restricted access to some files/function. I wonder if not Centos has Selinux activated as default. (I use to turn it off.) http://www.nsa.gov/selinux/

http://linux.web.cern.ch/linux/scientific4/docs/rhel-selg-en-4/selg-preface-0011.html

So sorry. I use Centos 4.2 and will check the urls when I get back to work. Tak.

If you just run a default CentOS installation, then you do get SELinux installed.

Bingo! Langbein. You are on the money! It is enabled. If policy allows, do I just type SELINUX=disabled? or do I also have to make the file?

I have done that disabling before, because the selinux function realy set up some strange things that can be rather difficult to handle and to find out about. I thinkt there were two alternative procedures one for the temporary and one for the permanent disabling of the function. I can not remember the details now, but I believe that I found it on the Centos forum. For some of us It could be a problem to read and write english well enough, but I guess it will work for you, he, he :-)

According to this guide it is only to set it to disabled, see point 4
http://www.howtoforge.com/perfect_setup_centos_4.3_p3
(I had a small memory that told me it was something more to do, but I might be wrong about that.)

I must live with selinux enabled so thanks for your help langbein and how do I give you the points?