Administrative Tasks →mediumMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped

LPIC-1 Administrative Tasks Practice Question

An administrator wants to change the owner of all files in /data to user 'web' without changing the group. Which command should be used?

⚠ Common exam trap

A common mix-up: candidates assume a colon is required or that `chown` without `-R` applies recursively, leading them to pick options that change the group or fail to affect all files.

Answer choices

Why each option matters

Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.

Correct answer & explanation

✓

chown -R web /data

`chown -R web /data` changes the owner of all files and directories recursively under /data to user 'web' while leaving the group ownership unchanged. The `-R` flag ensures recursion, and omitting a colon or dot after the username means only the owner is modified.

Answer analysis

Option-by-option breakdown

For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.

✗
chown -R web:web /data
Why it's wrong here
This changes both owner and group to web, which is not desired.
✓
chown -R web /data
Why this is correct
This recursively changes only the owner to web.
✗
chown web /data
Why it's wrong here
This changes owner for /data itself but not recursively.
✗
chown web:web /data
Why it's wrong here
This changes owner and group but not recursively.

Go deeper

LPIC-1 Administrative Tasks Practice Question

Why each option matters

Option-by-option breakdown

Related to this question