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File Management

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File Management Paper
There are issues that arise concerning file sharing in a multiuser system, and that is access rights and the management of simultaneous access. Access rights to a file is granted unique users whether singular or grouped. A flexible tool is provided to allow extensive file sharing among the users while providing a number of options so that certain access can be harnessed or controlled (Stallings , 2012).
Although a wide range of access is being used, there is still a list of representatives with access rights that can be designated to a certain user for a unique file. One way is masking the existence of the file, leaving the user oblivious to its existence. If by chance the user gain knowledge of the files existence and owner identification, a petition to the owner can be put in place to gain additional access rights. There are ways where the user can load and execute a program with copy restrictions. Propriety programs are an example of this because they are made accessible to users with this restriction (Stallings, 2012).
The only user with full access rights and the power to grant rights to others is the owner of the file created. There are also three classes of users provided said access by the owner. One- third of the class is a specific user, which are individual users who are assigned by a user id. User groups is the another class with a set of users that are not defined individually. The final class is granted to all users because the files are unrestricted (Stallings, 2012).
In a system that supports 5,000 users whereas 4,990 of those users are to be allowed access to a particular file, those users can be grouped up with their own specific access that has been set by administrative access. Most UNIX systems depend on file access control scheme with each user assigned unique user identification number or user ID. Since the access control data is focused on one singular place, switching access control data is easier and there is less requirements for space. Regarding 5,000 users in a UNIX based schemes; an extended access control list is needed. This approach is supported by most of the modern UNIX and UNIX-based operating systems using the FreeBSD approach, whereas the traditional approach goes with a minimum access control list. The owner of the group is granted permissions specified from the group class entry where maximum permissions can be granted to users other than the assigned owner whether it be a named user or group. This approach also functions as a mask on top of allowing the administrator to govern list of user IDs groups to a file. Each file the user and groups are associated with is protected by three protection bits named, read, write, and execute. These protection bits offer flexibility when assigning access rights (Silberschatz, Baer Galvin & Gagne, 2012).
A Windows base operating system also uses an access control list, giving administrators full control as well as the designated users and groups. Advanced security settings grants the administrator access to user rights of the designees on the local disk. Members of the user groups assigned are allowed to create folders and append data to files in the root of the system drive as well as special access to subfolders. Administrative privileges are required for execution of this operation. Protection schemes for named objects in a Windows os have security descriptors, which provide information about the owner of the list of users and groups with assigned permissions. Object accesses can also be specified based on which one must be logged to the system event log (Michener, 2008).
A file system management system is essential when dealing with the issues of file access and other services in an operating system. Access is important in a business or organization because certain data is vital and not for the view of every user. Access control lists is a way to organized unique users or groups with special privileges granted by the assigned owner. Extensive access is needed to cover a big amount of users in one file. Unix and Windows are just two of the systems that are available. Details of an access control and protection scheme should be taken into account when choosing one for an enterprise or small business. Reference

Michener, J. R. (2008). Access control: Understanding windows file and registry permissions. Retrieved from http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/magazine/cc982153.aspx

Silberschatz, A., Baer Galvin, P., & Gagne, G. (2012). Operating system concepts: chapter 10: File-system interface. (8th ed.). Retrieved from https://ecampus.phoenix.edu/content/eBookLibrary2/content/eReader.aspx

Stallings , W. (2012). Operating systems: Internals and design principles. (7th ed.). Prentice Hall.

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