Setting global umask via NSUmask or /etc/launchd.conf and /etc/launchd-user.conf broken?

Should others be interested, TinkerTool System, a good utility which has been updated for Lion, offers a user-friendly way to change the user-specific global umask. This screenshot shows the default settings, which can then be easily changed:

I peeked, and TinkerTool System does this by writing to /etc/launchd-user.conf.

Hi,

i changed the umask to 002 in tinker tools, in launchd-user.conf and in launchd.conf.

Everything is ok when I create a directory via Terminal (group has rwx). When I create the same directory with the finder the group has only rx 😟

Any ideas how to fix that?

ok.. umask 077 works.. umask 000 still gives the same rights as 002 do..

I think the files should be /etc/launchd.conf and /etc/launchd-user.conf

See the man pages for launchctl and launchd.conf

See this support article, which was written for OS X Server, but seems applicable to Mac OS X client versions as well:

Mac OS X Server v10.5, 10.6: Setting a custom umask

The excerpt below describes the use of /etc/launchd-user.conf, and strongly cautions against using /etc/launchd.conf.

---------

Umask for user applications

In Mac OS X v10.5.3 and later, you can create the file /etc/launchd-user.conf with the contents "umask nnn". Do not include the quotation marks and replace nnn with the desired umask value, such as 027 or 002.

This will set the user's umask for all applications they launch, such as Finder, TextEdit, or Final Cut Pro, and control the permissions set on new files created by any of these applications.

.........

Umask for system processes

In Mac OS X v10.4 and later, create the file /etc/launchd.conf with the contents "umask nnn". Do not include the quotation marks and replace nnn with the desired umask value, such as 027 or 002.

This will set the umask for all processes. Changing this value is strongly discouraged because it changes the permissions on files used by the system software. If the permissions are too restrictive, dependent software may not work. If the permissions are too open, they may introduce security issues.

------------------------------------

Hi, I'm trying to change the global umask in Lion but I still have some problems, I alrady try every procedure that I found on the web

1) add a umask specification in files "/etc/launchd".conf" and "etc/launchd-user.conf"

2) add a umask record in "/Library/Preferences/com.apple.finder.plist" and "~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.finder.plist"

Now as Watercool said in his post everything is ok when I create folder from terminal but still doesn't working when I create folders or files from Finder.

Any suggestions?

(I want to put umask = 002, I'm running Mac Os X Lion 10.7.1 on a MacBook 4,1 late 2008)

Hi,

I'm having the same problem during testing when I Creating New Folders using Finder, the New Folder are only Read Only to Everyone. Even if the umask 000 setting file is in place etc/launchd-user.conf. the New Folder still has the wrong permissions. But if you use Terminal to create a New Folder à mkdir à Test Folder Permissions are Read & Write and are OK. So it would appear that we may have a Finder problem since Terminal seems to works ok! But I'm sure Apple is aware of the problem.

Hm, any news, Apple? I consider this as a critical bug; Files are fine with 644 but directories ...

All of our staff working on SAN volumes is using Path Finder; costs a dime but works much better then finder.

Thank god samba has the force create mode option 🙂

Thanks Watercool 🙂 setting the umask to 077 helped me with a "snapserver" using AFP.