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File Access. Windows File Systems. Three main file systems File Allocation Table (FAT) FAT32 NTFS Final choice of system depends on How the system will be used Whether there are multiple operating systems Security requirements NTFS is highly recommended. FAT. Old…….Used by MS-DOS
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Windows File Systems • Three main file systems • File Allocation Table (FAT) • FAT32 • NTFS • Final choice of system depends on • How the system will be used • Whether there are multiple operating systems • Security requirements • NTFS is highly recommended
FAT • Old…….Used by MS-DOS • Supported by all versions of Windows since • Traditionally limited to partitions up to 2 GB • Windows Server 2003 version supports partitions up to 4 GB • Limitations • Small partition sizes • No file system security features • Disk space usage is poor
FAT32 • An updated FAT file system • Supports partition sizes up to 2 TB • Not supported by NT V.4 • Supported by Windows 2000 and up • Does not provide advanced security features • Cannot configure permissions on file and folder resources
NTFS • Introduced with Windows NT operating system • Current version (version 5) • Windows NT 4.0 • Windows 2000 • Windows XP • Windows Vista & 7 • Windows Server 2003 & 2008 • Supports partition sizes of up to 16 Exabytes (EB)
NTFS (cont.) • Advantages of NTFS • Greater scalability and performance • Support for Active Directory • Security permissions on individual files and folders • Support for compression and encryption • Disk quotas for individual users • Remote Storage • Recovery logging of disk activities
Shared Folders • Shared folder • A resource made available through a network to authorized clients • Permissions required for creating, reading, modifying • Groups that can create shared folders: • Administrators • Server Operators • Power Users (only on member servers)
Windows Explorer • Available since Windows 95 • Create, maintain, and share folders • Folders can be on any drive connected to the computer • Folders are shared in Windows Explorer by accessing the Sharing tab of folder’s properties
Windows Explorer (cont.) • Shared name of folder does not have to be the same as the actual file name • Hand icon used to indicate shared status • To make Shared folders hidden from My Network Places and Network Neighborhood, place a dollar sign ($) after name, e.g., Sales$
Computer Management • Computer Management console allows you to share, monitor, or stop sharing folders for local and remote computers • The Share Folder Wizard is used to create folders in the Shared Folders section of Computer Management. • It provides preconfigured and manual permissions • All users have read-only access • Administrators have full access; others have read-only access, or • Administrators have full access; others have read and write access
Managing Shared Folders • A shared folder has a discretionary access control list (DACL) • DACL contains a list of user or group references that have been allowed or denied permissions • Each reference is an access control entry (ACE) • DACL is accessed from Permissions button on Sharing tab of folder’s properties • Permissions only apply to network users, not those logged on directly to local machine
Managing Shared Folders (cont.) • To deny access to a user or group • Windows does not include a No Access share permission • You must explicitly deny access to each individual • Default permission is read access for Everyone group • Should be immediately addressed when a share is created • All contained objects inherit folder permissions
NTFS Permissions • NTFS permissions are configured via the Security tab • NTFS permissions are cumulative • Denial of access always overrides permitted access • NTFS folder permissions are inherited unless otherwise specified • NTFS permissions can be set at file or folder level
NTFS Permissions (cont.) • A new ACE has the default permissions • Read or Read and Execute for files • List Folder Contents for folders
Special Permissions • Special permissions can provide more or less access than standard permissions • Special permissions are accessed from the Advanced button in the Security tab on Properties dialog box • Permission Entry dialog box enables assignment of permissions and control of inheritance settings
Special Permissions (cont.) • Inheritance settings • This folder only • This folder, subfolders, and files (default) • This folder and subfolders • This folder and files • Subfolders and files only • Subfolders only • Files only
Effective Permissions • Permissions that actually apply to a user can be the result of membership in multiple groups • There is an Effective Permissions tab in Advanced Security Settings dialog box for resource • Shows specific permissions for a user or group
Shared Folder & Permissions • NTFS permissions can be combined with share permissions • When accessing a share across a network, if both apply, Windows will use the most restrictive • When accessing a file locally, only NTFS permissions apply
Converting FAT Partitions to NTFS • Use NTFS for greatest security of partitions and volumes • A Command-line utility, CONVERT, is available that will convert FAT or FAT32 partitions and volumes to NTFS • All existing files and folders are retained • CONVERT cannot work in reverse to convert NTFS to FAT or FAT32