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Directory Permissions and File Sharing
If you are unfamiliar with Linux file permissions you should consider reading sections 5.1 and 5.2 of this webpage first.
Home Directory Permissions
Each research group on the CSF has it’s own unix group to which all users from the research group belong. The default permissions on a user home directory on the CSF allow access for the user only. You can run the commands in bold at the login node prompt below. For example:
[username@login1 ~]$ ls -ld $HOME drwx------ 37 username zz01 4096 Aug 15 09:59 /mnt/iusers01/zz01/username ||_||_||_| | | | | | +--- Your unix group (based on the CSF contribution you are assigned to) | | | | | | | +-- (---) indicates others (all users) CANNOT access your HOME dir | | +----- (---) indicates people in your group (zz01) CANNOT access your HOME dir | +-------- (rwx) indicates user (you) CAN read, write and execute (enter) your home directory. | +----- directory (will be a dash - if looking at a file's properties)
If you want colleagues in your group to be able to read and copy some of your files you can set group permissions with the chmod command as follows:
[username@login2 ~]$ chmod g+rx $HOME
#
# This adds group read and execute
# permissions to your home directory.
Let’s check how it looks now:
[username@login2 ~]$ ls -ld $HOME
drwxr-x--- 37 username zz01 4096 Aug 15 09:59 /mnt/iusers01/zz01/username
|_|
|
+---- Now members of your group (zz01) CAN read and execute (enter) your
HOME dir but notice they CANNOT write to it.
The default file permissions within home directories should be sufficient to now allow people from your group to read the contents of the files and to copy them to their own home directory.
It is highly recommended that you never give anyone else write (w) permission to your directory or files as this allows them to modify or delete them. Please note that directory permissions override file permissions.
Scratch Directory Permissions
Default permissions are the same as on home directories, please follow the information above for home if you wish to change your scratch permissions ensuring that the path you use to do so is
/scratch/username
#
# Use your own username here
Group Research Data Storage
Some groups have an allocation of Research Data Storage (RDS) on the CSF. For example:
/mnt/zz01-rds/smith-group/
which usually contains a directory for each person authorised to use the space and sometimes shared directories.
The permission in these areas vary depending on the group in question. The information above will still be applicable in some cases. If you need help organising your group area or the permissions for it please email its-ri-team@manchester.ac.uk .