Networking / Beginners

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Windows NT 4 and Windows 2000 file system security

Both Windows NT 4 and Windows 2000 use the New Technology File System (NTFS) to provide file system security. Rights can be assigned to users, groups, and some special entities, which include the "everyone" assignment. Table below describes the basic file permissions that can be used with NTFS on Windows NT 4 and Windows 2000.

Note Windows 2000 is discussed in detail in the next section. The information on file permission has been presented here as it applies to both Windows NT 4 and Windows 2000.

File Permissions with NTFS on Windows NT 4 and Windows 2000

Right	Description
Full Control	Provides all rights
Modify	Allows files to be modified
Read & Execute	Allows files to be read and executed (that is, run)
List Folder Contents	Allows the files in a folder to be listed
Read	Allows a file to be read
Write	Allows a file to be written to

An added complexity to file system security on Windows platforms is that the shares created to allow users to access folders across the network can also be assigned a set of permissions. Although these permissions are quite basic (Full Control, Change, Read and No Access), they must be considered because they can be combined with NTFS permissions. The rule when this situation occurs is that the most restrictive permissions assignment applies. For example, if a user connects through a share with Read permission and then tries to access a file to which she has the NTFS Full Control right, the actual permissions would be Read. The most restrictive right (in this case, Read) overrides the other permissions assignment.

Remember On the Network, you might be asked to identify valid and invalid file permissions for certain platforms.