Administering Privileges Using Show Info


Within OS X’s GUI, privileges are set via the Finder using the item’s Get Info window. Selecting the item within the Finder, and choosing the Get Info command under the File menu or by utilizing the key combination z-I and turning down the chevron adjacent to the label Ownership and Permissions does this.

OS X’s GUI groups the assignment of permissions into four selections: Read Only, Write Only (Drop Box), Read & Write, and None. Although folders can be assigned any of the above- specified privileges, files can only be assigned Read Only, Read & Write, or None. When a folder is assigned Write Only, that folder becomes a shared drop box for users other than its owner. This means users can drop files onto that folder, but are unable to open that folder or view its contents. Table 14-2 explains the various privileges that can be assigned for an item

Table 14-2: Privilege Settings for Files and Folders

Setting

Privileges Granted for a File

Privileges Granted for a Folder

Read & Write

Open the file.

Open the folder.

Copy the file.

Copy the folder.

Change, move, and delete the file.

See enclosed files and folders.

Create, change, move, and delete enclosed files and folders.

Read only

Open the file.

Open the folder.

Copy the file.

Copy the folder.

See enclosed files and folders.

Write only

Not applicable.

Drag items into the folder. Save files in the folder.

None

None

None

In Mac OS X, there are three categories for content ownership: owner, group, and other. The owner category is the user account that actually owns the file. In the simplified view this is referred to as You can., but in the detailed view its referred to as owner. By default, Mac OS X displays a simplified view when viewing privileges using the Show Info window. In order to display all of the options you must turn down the chevron adjacent to the details label. Mac OS X does not provide any means of changing group assignment through the GUI. Groups play a greater role within Mac OS X Server. The other assigns privileges for everyone not listed within the owner and group categories.

Note

The movement of files, folders, and applications within an OS X system does not modify privileges. Files do not automatically inherit the privileges of the folder they reside in, and even if you have not been assigned access to a particular file, you can still delete it if you have Read & Write access to the folder it resides in. Locally mounted volumes other than the boot volume can be configured to ignore ownership. When enabled, this will remove file security, allowing all contents to be accessed by whatever user account is logged in. This feature is enabled by default on external removable media and hard disks. It is controlled via a checkbox at the bottom of the Details portion of the Ownership and Permissions section of the Shown Info window for a volume.

Tip

Mac OS 9 does not respect the Mac OS X security model. If an OS X system is rebooted into OS 9, the entire contents of the system including the boot volume are exposed to viewing, modification, and deletion.

You change privileges of a folder or file in the Finder’s Info window, shown in Figure 14-12, by following these steps:

click to expand
Figure 14-12: Turn down the chevron adjacent to the Details label in order to gain access to all the variables that can be configured within the Ownership and Permissions portion of the Finder’s Show Info window.

  1. Using the Finder click on an item you want to administer privileges for.

  2. Select Get Info from the Finder’s File Menu or use the key combination z-I.

  3. In the Info window, turn down the chevron adjacent to Ownership & Permissions.

  4. Turn down the chevron adjacent to Details.

    Using the selections in the pop-up menus, you can change the owner of the file or the privileges granted to the three categories of ownership. You must be the owner of an item to change its privileges or alternatively you may authenticate using an admin account’s name and password.




Mac OS X Bible, Panther Edition
Mac OS X Bible, Panther Edition
ISBN: 0764543997
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2003
Pages: 290

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