1 .fin
2 .all
3 All "segments" and "directories" on Multics contain lists that indicate
4 who can use them. These lists are called access control lists or ACLs for
5 short. By adding and erasing users' names from the ACLs of your segments and
6 directories, you can control who uses them. This is an important feature of
7 Multics' security system.
8
9 On segments there are three types of access:
10 .fif
11
12 r -- allows a user to read the segment
13 w -- allows a user to change or write in the segment
14 e -- allows a user to execute the segment if it is a program
15
16 On directories there are also three types of access:
17
18 s -- allows a user to see the attributes of segments in the directory
19 m -- allows a user to modify attributes of segments in the directory
20 a -- allows a user to create, copy, or move segments in the directory
21 .fin
22
23 In order to use a segment, a user must have appropriate access to both
24 the segment and the directory it is contained in.
25
26 The names on an ACL have three parts: the user's name and project e.g.
27 Smith.Mktg and a component called an instance tag, which is usually denoted
28 by an asterisk e.g. Smith.Mktg.*. The asterisk means that whatever
29 instance tag a user has will be given access. An asterisk can also be used in
30 the name and project components; it means that any name or any project will be
31 given access.
32
33 The "commands" you use to maintain ACLs are: list_acl, set_acl, and
34 delete_acl. To try these out and to see what an ACL looks like, go to
35 "command level" by pressing function key F2. Once there type the list_acl
36 command without arguments to see the ACL on your working directory. To see
37 the ACL of a segment, supply the segment's name as the "pathname" "argument"
38 to list_acl. Before experimenting with set_acl or delete_acl, use the help
39 command to see exactly how to invoke them.