Determining User Access Rights on a Banyan VINES Network

SUMMARY

Banyan VINES network users can be granted one of four types of access to specific directories. On a Novell network, users are granted "rights", which are roughly equivalent but less comprehensive.

There are four types of access on a VINES network, and a user may have only one access type in a particular directory.

The rights of each user or group of users is listed on a file on each directory. The list is called an ARL, or Access Rights List.

The four types of access are as follows:

Control

The is the most comprehensive type of access and is usually given to administrators.

The user can Control access rights to the directory and subdirectories; they can create, delete, modify, and read files and subdirectories.

Modify

This is the access most users have in their own directories.

Modify rights are similar to Control rights, but the user cannot control who has access rights to the directory.

Read

This right is given to users of directories that contain shared files.

Users can read and copy any files and subdirectories, as well as, execute any files.

Null

This is used to specifically prevent access.

User cannot do anything with the files or subdirectories.

MORE INFORMATION

To display and interpret the access rights a user has in a particular directory, use the following steps:

1. At the MS-DOS prompt, type SETARL, and press ENTER.

   The File Access Rights menu appears. The screen is divided into two parts: command choices appear in the top half of the screen. In the lower portion, a list of users who have rights in the current directory and the level of access for those users displays.

   Note: The current drive is listed immediately below the horizontal line. The current directory is listed just below that.

2. If the directory to be examined is not currently listed, choose CHANGE DIRECTORY, and press ENTER.

   A box appears in which to type the new directory name. Type the directory name, and press ENTER.

   For every directory a display similar to the following appears:

         AdminList@Finance@NorthAirlines,C
   

"C" is the Access Right and in this case, the "C" indicates that this group has Control rights. "R" would indicate "Read" rights.

"AdminList" is the UserName and in this case consists of a list of user names. The user name could refer to an individual such as, "Al Smith." An asterisk in this field indicates that all users in the group specified by the GroupName, are on the ARL.

"Finance" is the GroupName. "NorthAirlines" is the OrganizationName.

REFERENCES

"VINES Administrator's Reference," pages 6-7, 6-8