Questions:
  1. Change Permissions with WS_FTP
  2. Change Permissions with Fetch
  3. Examples of using chmod
  4. How do I set my permissions?
Answers:
  1. Change Permissions with WS_FTP
    WS_FTP also makes changing permissions simple.

    FTP into your account on the server
    Highlight the file you want to check permissions on and right-click it.
    A menu will pop up. Select CHMOD
    Just highlight the file you want to check, and right-click on it. A
    menu will pop up, then select CHMOD.
    You will see the window listing applicable permissions. Check the ones you want.
  2. Change Permissions with Fetch
    Some FTP clients support changing permissions in a more graphical way. If you have Fetch for the Mac, you have an easy way to change permissions.

    FTP into your account on the server.
    Go to the file you want to change the permissions on, and highlight it.
    Under the Remote menu, select Change Permissions.
    A window will pop up showing the current permissions for the file you highlighted. Click on the boxes to change permissions as needed.
  3. Examples of using chmod
    PEOPLE PERMISSIONS
    u = the file's user (you) r = read access
    g = the file's group x = execute access
    o = others w = write access
    a = the user, the group, and others


    To change permissions for a file named filename.cgi, you need to chmod the file (change mode). For example, when you type this:
    chmod u=rwx,g=rx,o=rx filename.cgi
    you've given:
    read, execute, and write access to the user (that's you)
    read and execute access to the group and
    read and execute access to others

    Some scripts will tell you to chmod 775 (for example). Doing the above is the same thing as typing chmod 775. You can use either method with our Unix servers. Let me explain:

    When using the numeric system, the code for permissions is as follows:
    r = 4 w = 2 x = 1 rwx = 7
    The first 7 of our chmod775 tells Unix to change the user's permissions to rxw (because r=4 + w=2 + x=1 adds up to 7. The second 7 applies to the group, and the last number 5, refers to others (4+1=5).

    When doing an ls -l on the file, telnet always shows the permissions this way:
    -rwxr-xr-x
    Ignore the first dash, then break up the above into three groups of letters. If there's a dash where a letter should be, it means that there is no permission for those people.
    Remember: the first 3 apply to user, the second 3 apply to group, and the third 3 apply to others.
  4. How do I set my permissions?
    The following is a simple explanation of file permissions in Unix. To list the access permissions of a file or directory, telnet to your server, then type:
    cd directoryname
    to change the directory until you are either in the directory above the file you are interested in, or above the directory you are checking.
    Type: ls -l filename
    and you will see what the current permission settings are for that file, along with other information.
    Examples of using chmod:
    PEOPLE PERMISSIONS
    u = the file's user (you) r = read access
    g = the file's group x = execute access
    o = others w = write access
    a = the user, the group, and others


    To change permissions for a file named filename.cgi, you need to chmod the file (change mode). For example, when you type this:
    chmod u=rwx,g=rx,o=rx filename.cgi
    you've given:
    read, execute, and write access to the user (that's you)
    read and execute access to the group and
    read and execute access to others

    Some scripts will tell you to chmod 775 (for example). Doing the above is the same thing as typing chmod 775. You can use either method with our Unix servers. Let me explain:

    When using the numeric system, the code for permissions is as follows:
    r = 4 w = 2 x = 1 rwx = 7
    The first 7 of our chmod775 tells Unix to change the user's permissions to rxw (because r=4 + w=2 + x=1 adds up to 7. The second 7 applies to the group, and the last number 5, refers to others (4+1=5).

    When doing an ls -l on the file, telnet always shows the permissions this way:
    -rwxr-xr-x
    Ignore the first dash, then break up the above into three groups of letters. If there's a dash where a letter should be, it means that there is no permission for those people.
    Remember: the first 3 apply to user, the second 3 apply to group, and the third 3 apply to others.