Working with Access Control Lists
On the List
© IKO, Fotolia
The ancient Linux permission system is often insufficient for complex production environments. Access Control Lists offer a flexible alternative.
Alice appreciates the convenience of a PC-based electronic calendar, but to maintain her privacy, she has set strict permissions for her calendar file: She can add new appointments herself, but other members of her workgroup have read-only access. Others outside of her workgroup are not even allowed to look.
This configuration is fine at first, but one day Bob from another department agrees to collaborate with Alice. To allow this to happen, she has to give him access to her calendar data.
In this scenario, it is clear that the legacy Linux permission system has outlived its usefulness. To allow Bob to read the file with her calendar data, Alice can ask the administrator to move the new colleague into her own group, but this would allow Bob to view all the other documents produced by Alice's team. Another approach would be to temporarily set up a completely new user group with both Alice's and Bob's accounts as members. In this simple scenario, a temporary group might be an acceptable solution, but in a real-world enterprise environment, group management becomes far more complicated, and the habit of creating temporary groups on the fly can lead to too many groups with no good way of tracking them.
[...]
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
US / Canada
UK / Australia
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
TrueNAS 25.04 Arrives with Thousands of Changes
One of the most popular Linux-based NAS solutions has rolled out the latest edition, based on Ubuntu 25.04.
-
Fedora 42 Available with Two New Spins
The latest release from the Fedora Project includes the usual updates, a new kernel, an official KDE Plasma spin, and a new System76 spin.
-
So Long, ArcoLinux
The ArcoLinux distribution is the latest Linux distribution to shut down.
-
What Open Source Pros Look for in a Job Role
Learn what professionals in technical and non-technical roles say is most important when seeking a new position.
-
Asahi Linux Runs into Issues with M4 Support
Due to Apple Silicon changes, the Asahi Linux project is at odds with adding support for the M4 chips.
-
Plasma 6.3.4 Now Available
Although not a major release, Plasma 6.3.4 does fix some bugs and offer a subtle change for the Plasma sidebar.
-
Linux Kernel 6.15 First Release Candidate Now Available
Linux Torvalds has announced that the release candidate for the final release of the Linux 6.15 series is now available.
-
Akamai Will Host kernel.org
The organization dedicated to cloud-based solutions has agreed to host kernel.org to deliver long-term stability for the development team.
-
Linux Kernel 6.14 Released
The latest Linux kernel has arrived with extra Rust support and more.
-
EndeavorOS Mercury Neo Available
A new release from the EndeavorOS team ships with Plasma 6.3 and other goodies.