Symptom
A file copied from Mac OS X Server to a client computer cannot be opened by a particular user.
Note: This symptom occurs under specific, limited circumstances after a file has been modified by different users in a particular sequence. It results from the permissions model in Mac OS X that protects the privacy of users' files. If you know that the user who copied the file should be able to open and use it, then the workaround described below will allow that user to open the file.
Solution
Follow these steps to give the affected user permissions for the file. Steps 2 through 4 are optional.
1. Log in as an Admin user.
2. Select the affected file in the Finder.
3. Choose Show Info (Mac OS X 10.1), or Get Info (Mac OS X 10.2) from the File menu.
4. In the Info window, you may verify that the affected user does not have ownership or adequate permissions for the file.
5. Open Terminal (/Applications/Utilities/).
6. Type: sudo chown <username>
Important: Replace "<username>" with the actual short name of the affected user. Additionally, you must type a space after the short name. So for a user with a short name of "bernard", the correct text entry would be "sudo chown bernard ".
7. Drag the affected file from the Finder into the Terminal window. This automatically types the pathname of the file for you.
8. Press Return.
9. When prompted, enter your Admin user password, then press Return.
10. Quit Terminal.
The affected user should now be able to open the file. You may verify ownership of the file in the Info window.