File Management

File Management Paper

POS 355

Michael Daniel

Michele Gamberutti

8/18/13

Hello I am here to describe basic file access to you. I will touch upon how to accomplish file access in a specific scenario that has been provided for me. The scenario is as follows; when presented with a system that supports 5,000 users how would you make it so that 4,990 of those users have access to one file, using UNIX? After considering the proposed scenario I came up with two possible steps for achieving this. These two steps are as follows we can implement the use of Access Control List (ACL’s) or we can implement the use of Access Control List along with using user groups.

I would like to begin by giving a brief overview of UNIX and what it is for those who don’t know. Unix is a multitasking, Multiuser operating system (encyclopedia) What this means is that while using Unix multiple users can access a single computer simultaneously, while still having in essence a personal computer workstation. These UNIX systems can perform achieve the same functions regardless if running on a small CPU or super computer the only difference will be how fast it is able to process data, and also its ability to store data.

The first of the two potential steps that we may use to accomplish our goal is to utilize Access Control Lists (ACL’s). Now for those of you that don’t know these ACL’s are exactly what they sound like, they are list comprised of either users, computers or networks. These ACL’s are present for every file and they control who is able to read, write, and/or execute a particular file. (Temple University, n.d.) After these list are created they are then used in order to decide the amount of access that the members that are on each individual list will be afforded. So in this step we would add all 4990 users that we want to have access to the file individually to the ACL so that they will be afforded access. The second method that could be used would follow the steps of the...