Err Msg: This Operation is Not Allowed in this Special Group (103675)

SUMMARY

A primary group is needed when a user logs on using Services for Macintosh or runs POSIX applications. This group is used as the default group in Services for Macintosh when assigning permissions. If there is not a primary group, you will receive the following error message:

This operation is not allowed on this special group. ID 2234.

This error message is described in the message guide as to occur in groups such as Users, Administrators and Guests; however, the problem goes far beyond that.

MORE INFORMATION

When you delete a global group, Windows NT Advanced Server first removes all of its members; if one of its members is a Services for Macintosh user and has that group assigned as his Primary Group, the Windows NT Advanced Server fails to remove the group and generates the above error message (ID 2234). (The same thing happens if, when doing group maintenance, an attempt is made to remove that Macintosh user).

To successfully delete the group, modify all Services for Macintosh users that are members of that group, and have it as their Primary Group, so they have a different Primary Group.

For each Service for Macintosh user, do the following:

From the User Manager for Domains, double-click the desired user.
Select Groups.
Choose a global group (different than the one you want to delete), and then choose Set.
Choose OK.
Choose OK or Close.

Even though this operation is time-consuming, using a Primary Group is recommended because of the lack of flexibility in the Macintosh permission scheme.

For more information on how to set Primary Groups for Services for Macintosh users and what the permission scheme is, see the chapter titled "How Services for Macintosh Works" in the Windows NT Advanced Server "Services for Macintosh" guide.