HPlogo Performing System Management Tasks: HP 3000 MPE/iX Computer Systems > Chapter 8 Allowing Access to the System

Securing Disk Files

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File security addresses the question, "Who has what types of access to which files?" The security system you implement depends on the particular system, its location, and its applications. At a minimum, you choose which types of users have access to an account, an MPE group, or a file and what kind of access they have. For example, you may decide that any user can read files in an account, but only certain users can execute its program files.

To identify a user's file access

To identify a user's file access, use the LISTACCT or LISTGROUP commands. For example, to display the security of a particular account, enter:

   LISTACCT accountname

Or, to display the security of a particular group, enter:

   LISTGROUP groupname.accountname

File access modes describes what kind of access a user has to a file. The following table defines these modes:

Table 8-3 File Access Modes

CodeDescriptions
RRead access allows users to read files only.
LLock access permits a user to lock a file or prevent concurrent access to it.
AAppend access allows users to add or append information to files, but prohibits altering information already written. Implies lock access mode.
WWrite access allows users to add, delete, or change information in files. Also allows users to purge files. Implicitly allows lock and append access modes.
SSave access allows users to declare files within a group as permanent. Pertains only to group level.
XExecute access allows users to execute or run program files.

 

To define a user's file access

Security is established for a file, group, and account by specifying which types of users have each specific access type. For example, to allow anyone to run (execute) a program, specify X:ANY.

The following table lists user types available to the file access modes.

Table 8-4 User Types

User TypeDescription of User
ANYAnyone on the system. Includes all types below.
ACAny user in the account. Includes all AL, GU, and CR users in the account.
ALAccount librarian. A user who can manage certain files within the account, which may include more than one group.
CRThe creator of the file.
GUGroup user. Any users allowed access to this group as the logon or home group, including all GL users applicable to the group.
GLGroup librarian. A user who manages certain files within a home group only.

 

To establish security for a file, group, or account

To establish security for a file, group, or account, use the NEWACCT, ALTACCT, NEWGROUP, and ALTGROUP commands with the ACCESS parameter. The following examples illustrate how to establish security with these commands:

   NEWACCT PAYROLL,MGR;PASS=MONEY;ACCESS=(R,X:ANY;W,A,L,:CR)



   NEWGROUP INCOME.PAYROLL;ACCESS=(R,X,W,A,L,:ANY)



   ALTACCT PAYROLL;ACCESS=(R,X,:AC;W,A,L,:CR)



   ALTGROUP INCOME.PAYROLL;ACCESS=(R,X,W,A,L,:GU)

To access a file, a user must have capability at the most restrictive level of security applied to the file (account, group, or file). If someone fails to meet access criteria for any one of the three levels of security, that user cannot access the file.

File-access restrictions for an account or group are set when you or the account manager creates them. The system assigns the following defaults for file access when they are not explicitly defined:

Table 8-5 Default File Access for Accounts

AccountAccess ModesUser Types
SYSR, XAny
 A, W, LAC
All other accountsR, A, W, L, XAC

 

Table 8-6 Default File Access for Groups

GroupAccess ModesUser Types
non-PUB groupR, A, W, S, L, XGU
PUB groupR, XAny
 A, L, S, WAL, GU

 

File-level values default to (R, A, W, L, X: Any).

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