Getting to grips with Linux Permissions

DO IT WITH PERMISSION

Article from Issue 120/2010
Author(s):

From the vault:This article first appeared in issue #1 (October 2000). You'll also find this article on our 10-year anniversary Archive DVD included in issue #120 (November 2010).

With any operating system it is important to ensure that users remain in control of their files and directories and are prevented from tampering with those belonging to other users, or the system. This is what the Linux permissions system is all about, as Jono Bacon explains.

The 10-year anniversary issue hits newsstands starting:
Europe: October 4
North America: October 29
Australia: November 29
[flickr image courtesy of jessica.diamond]

Permissions are at the heart of how Linux works. Some operating systems (such as MS-DOS and some variants of Microsoft Windows) treat all files in the same way. This means that any user can change any file. Usually, there is only one kind of user.

Buy this article as PDF

Express-Checkout as PDF
Price $2.95
(incl. VAT)

Buy Linux Magazine

SINGLE ISSUES
Print Issues
Digital Issues
 
SUBSCRIPTIONS
Print Subs
Digisubs
 
TABLET & SMARTPHONE APPS
Get it on Google Play

US / Canada

Get it on Google Play

UK / Australia

Related content

  • Command Line: Access Control

    A sophisticated system of users and permissions precisely controls who has access to what on Linux. At the command line, you can define ownership with the chmod, chgrp, and chown tools.

    more »
  • Access Control Lists

    The ancient Linux permission system is often insufficient for complex production environments. Access Control Lists offer a flexible alternative.

    more »
  • Idea for a New Filesystem

    Programmer Marc Perkel gave kernel developers something to think about with his proposal for a new filesystem.

    more »
  • Metadata in the Shell

    Armed with the right shell commands, you can quickly identify and evaluate file and directory metadata.

    more »
  • Admin Workshop: User Management

    The steps for setting up new accounts in Linux are automated and often use GUI-based tools. Under the hood, a number of mechanisms give the new user an environment to match his or her needs. In this month’s Admin Workshop we discuss techniques for setting up accounts.

    more »
comments powered by Disqus

Visit Our Shop

Trial Subscription

Digital Subscription

Subscribe

Direct Download

Read full article as PDF:

File_Permissions.pdf  (214.91 kB)

News

Tag Cloud

Administration Community Desktop Events Hardware Linux Linux Pro Magazine Mobile Programming Software Ubuntu Web Development Windows free software open source