CACLS Directory Output Defined

ID: Q123647

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Windows NT Workstation version 3.5
Microsoft Windows NT Server version 3.5

Administrators and users with the Change Permissions enabled, can use the CACLS command to show or modify Access Control Lists (ACLs) for directories and files.

If you query ACLs for directories the output is a listing of the permissions on the directory and the files inside the directory.

Under File Manager in the Directory Permissions dialog box, the first set of parentheses contain directory permissions and the second set contain file permissions. However, for CACLS it is nearly backwards; the first listing of a group or user contains the file permissions while the second listing contains the directory permissions. The letters in parentheses represent the access control entry (ACE) header inheritance flags set for the object and container:

File Permissions:


   OI = MSG_CACLS_OBJECT_INHERIT

   References permissions for files copied to or created in this directory.
   This ACE is inherited by noncontainer objects, such as files created
   within the container object to which the ACE is assigned.


   IO = MSG_CACLS_INHERIT_ONLY


   References permissions for files copied to or created in this directory.
   This ACE does not apply to the container object, but to objects
   contained by it.

Normally both references are displayed.

Directory Permissions:


   CI = MSG_CACLS_CONTAINER_INHERIT

   References permissions for the directory and directories copied to or
   created in this directory. This ACE is inherited by container objects,
   such as directories.


   NP = MSG_CACLS_NO_PROPAGATE_INHERIT

   Displayed when a permission is not to be inherited. The
   MSG_CACLS_OBJECT_INHERIT and MSG_CACLS_CONTAINER_INHERIT bits are not
   propagated to an inherited ACE.

A directory's ACL will normally contain at least two ACEs. If CACLS output only contains one ACE, then permissions for the other ACE have not been specified. File Manager in this case will display the ACE as "(Not Specified)".

REFERENCES

If special access ACE's have been specified, standard and specific access mask types are displayed. References for these masks can be found in the Windows NT Resource Kit, Chapter 2.

Additional references can be found in the Windows NT SDK, chapter 49 Programmer's Reference Volume 3.

Additional query words: prodnt

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