Richard Harvey

Q: Warning: SUID file “System/Library/CoreServices/RemoteManagement/ARDAgent.app/Contents/MacOS/ARDAg ent” has been modified and will not be repaired.

Encountered this message while using Disk Utility to verify disk permissions. What does it mean and is it something I need to address?

Posted on May 27, 2015 9:28 AM

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Q: Warning: SUID file “System/Library/CoreServices/RemoteManagement/ARDAgent.app/Contents/MacOS/ARDAg ent” has been modif ... more

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  • by Klaus1,

    Klaus1 Klaus1 May 27, 2015 9:30 AM in response to Richard Harvey
    Level 8 (48,821 points)
    May 27, 2015 9:30 AM in response to Richard Harvey

    As long as the report ends up with 'Permissions repair complete' then, as far as permissions go, you are fine. You can ignore the various statements in the report:

     

    Permissions you can ignore on 10.5 onwards:

     

    http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1448

     

    Using 'should be -rw-r--r-- , they are lrw-r--r--' as an example, you will see the that the permissions are not changed, but the | indicates a different location. This is because an update to Leopard onwards changed the location of a number of system components.

     

    Poster rccharles has provided this description of what it all means:

     

    drwxrwxrwx
     
    d = directory


    r = read

    w = write


    x = executeable program
     

     

    drwxrwxrwx
     

    |  |  |
     

    |  |   all other users not in first two types
     

    |  | 

    |  group
     


     

    owner


    a little more info

    Before the user had read & write. A member of the group had read.

    After, only the user had read & write.

  • by Linc Davis,

    Linc Davis Linc Davis May 27, 2015 12:43 PM in response to Richard Harvey
    Level 10 (207,963 points)
    Applications
    May 27, 2015 12:43 PM in response to Richard Harvey

    It means nothing. Repairing permissions is a waste of time and it always spews false warnings.

  • by Klaus1,

    Klaus1 Klaus1 May 27, 2015 4:25 PM in response to Richard Harvey
    Level 8 (48,821 points)
    May 27, 2015 4:25 PM in response to Richard Harvey

    As usual the advice from Linc Davis runs counter to that from Apple:

     

    Repairing permissions is important, and should always be carried out both before and after any software installation or update.

     

    Go to Disk Utility (this is in your Utilities Folder in your Application folder) and click on the icon of your hard disk (not the one with all the numbers).

     

    In First Aid, click on Repair Permissions.

     

    Background information here:

     

    https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201560

     

    and here:

     

    http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=302672

     

    An article on troubleshooting Permissions can be found here:

     

    http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2963

     

    By the way, you can ignore any messages about SUID or ACL file permissions, as explained here:

     

    https://support.apple.com/en-gb/HT203172

     

    If you were having any serious problems with your Mac you might as well complete the exercise by repairing your hard disk as well. You cannot do this from the same start-up disk. Reboot from your install disk (holding down the C key). Once it opens, select your language, and then go to Disk Utility from the Utilities menu. Select your hard disk as before and click Repair:

     

    https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201639

     

    Once that is complete reboot again from your usual start-up disk.

     

    More useful reading here:

     

    Resolve startup issues and perform disk maintenance with Disk Utility and fsck

     

    https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT203176

     

    For a full description of how to resolve Disk, Permission and Cache Corruption, you should read this FAQ from the X Lab:

     

    http://www.thexlab.com/faqs/repairprocess.html

     

    Apple's advice on general maintenance:

     

    http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1147?viewlocale=en_US

  • by Old Toad,

    Old Toad Old Toad May 27, 2015 4:55 PM in response to Richard Harvey
    Level 10 (141,095 points)
    Mac OS X
    May 27, 2015 4:55 PM in response to Richard Harvey

    I agree with Klaus1 on the permissions repair.  I've had a couple of Yosemite updates that gave me problems, not big ones but enough to be annoying.  I booted into the Recovery volume (boot with the Command + R keys held down), selected Disk Utility and repaired disk permissions and the disk.  Was surprised to see the number of permissions needed to be repaired. 

     

    After rebooting normally the issues had cleared up and the system ran like beautifully.

    OTsig.png

  • by Linc Davis,

    Linc Davis Linc Davis May 27, 2015 5:17 PM in response to Richard Harvey
    Level 10 (207,963 points)
    Applications
    May 27, 2015 5:17 PM in response to Richard Harvey

    Although it’s immensely popular, repairing permissions is a waste of time unless you have a specific indication of a permission error involving system files, which is rare, or a startup failure. It has traditionally spewed bogus warning messages that mean absolutely nothing.

    The built-in help for Disk Utility reads in part:

    If you see an alert or a message that says your permissions are set incorrectly, you can correct the disk’s permissions by clicking Repair Disk Permissions.

    It’s justifiable, though rarely necessary, to repair permissions after running a third-party software installer, as defective installers have been known to damage the permissions of system files.

    The one time you can be 100% sure that repairing permissions is a waste of time is just after installing a system update from Apple.