I'm moving from Windows to Linux.

Have it running. Just one last thing to do - PERMISSION CHECKS!! Good that should be easy.

Control Panel - Permission Checks - This page will test to make sure all files and directories have the proper permissions. Note that not all of these permissions are required for your forum to be operational. Some of these permissions are only used in the control panel, for example the languages. You only need to change these permissions if you want to update your language files in the control panel.

Soooo... If all of these aren't required, AND I only have FOUR that have a Green "OK" listed next to them, am I okay to go?

Why in heck wouldn't someone flag exactly WHICH ONES need to be greeb for CP use, and which ones don't? I dread going live now with my new configuration, not knowing whether I've got all of the right folders opened up or not.

On my old site (WIndows), all of the items had a green "OK". But after setting almost all folders to WRITE, I still have a ton of RED "Fail"s showing.

Good idea on flagging the required ones (however we'll make this much easier in v8 and be automating this and changing permissions via ftp using php when possible), but we will definitely mark the required ones.

On your specific issue, what is probably happening is the files within aren't writable. If you click on one of the folder names with a FAIL, it should expand and show what is failing.

The big ones that you need to pass are:

cache
gallery (if you are using gallery forums)
includes
sessions
styles
tmp

My opinion is they are all required to be corrected.
Regardless if they are just needed for the control panel or just the forum
Otherwise you just have a forum that is crippleware.
Sooner or later you will try a feature that fails and you won't remember that you never corrected a file permission somewhere.
If you follow the documents it really is not that difficult.
Changing from windows for the first time is a little cumbersome the first time but it really is a easy task to set the permissions.
And it should take a whole 15 minutes tops.
Just follow the install docs.
Setting it to just write does not cut it.
they need to be like 777 read,write,execute.delete
or
666 read,write.

What are you using to change the file permissions?

Good discussion. I found that some directories went "green" as long as I enabled the "test" file.

But not all directories have a "test" file.

Rick, are you saying that ALL FILES within the directory need to be writeable? Wow. One of the folders has a couple hundred graphics in it. Ouch.

Yes I have moved from Windows to Linux as of 11 pm last night. Now I'm chasing down a couple of gremlins. Still concerned about directories that show up "red".

I'm using CUTE FTP.

OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You said "If you click on one of the folder names with a FAIL, it should expand and show what is failing."

I forgot ALL ABOUT THAT!! Dang. That just gave me the info that I needed... wow... You need to add that to your SIGNATURE line!! :-)

The images within the graphics directories aren't a necessity, only if you want to be able to change them from the control panel.

However, with cuteftp you can actually just select all of the files in a folder, right click and change the permissions on all of the files at once.

SUCCESS --- all fixed now! I also forgot that I can modify multiple files at the SAME time with CUTE FTP... wow... that sure made it easy.

All of the Islands are now working. By golly, I think that I've successfully completed the conversion from Windows to Linux.