Linux-Noob Forums

Understanding Access Permissions

Using file/directory permissions can be a little bit tricky when you come from the Microsoft world. At some points I will say "root" or more correctly UID 0, these things are the same.

 

Main Utilities:

chmod - Change access permissions of files

chown - Change file owner and group

 

And for more experienced users:

stat - Display file or filesystem status

 

The access rights determine if a process can access a file in a particular method. These rights specify read, write and execute and are further controlled by user, group and other.

 

Quick glance at how file permissions look:







 

Taking each bit as it goes:

 

-

This represents the file type, file (-) and directory (d) are all you need right now,

there are more but it will just confuse matters.

 

rw-

The first three indicate the permissions for the file owner (znx), read

nice tutorial..

 

Condor

Good tutorials znx :) hope to see this on tutorials.linux-noob.com

Quote:nice tutorial...

 

thank you.. :)

 

Quote:Good tutorials znx :) hope to see this on tutorials.linux-noob.com

 

Yeah, im going to expand it to include ACLs as I have to deal with these constantly at work, after which it will defn. be in with the tutorials B)

topic pinned and moved

 

nice one znx, keep up the good work dude !

 

cheers

 

anyweb

Wow .. took me long enough to add the stuff about ACLs :)

Quote:Wow .. took me long enough to add the stuff about ACLs :)

 

heh, better late than never :)(that's one of my favorite mottos, and it's so true)

 

good work znx :)

 

cheers

anyweb

One small nit. It's UID 0 that's root's UID, not UID 1.

Thanks so much Green Possum, how could I miss something so obvious hehe :)! Fixed