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Old 04-26-2012, 03:49 AM   #1
proNick
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What are benefits of groups? How can I change properties of the group?


Hello,

I have some doubts regarding use of Linux groups...

What are benefits of groups? How can I change group properties?

Ie. how can I define that users in group 'users' can access to cdrom, without adding all members of group 'users' into group 'cdrom'?

Or, benefit of the groups are strictly related with access rights to files and directories?


Thank you in advance!
 
Old 04-26-2012, 03:53 AM   #2
Tinkster
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Quote:
Originally Posted by proNick View Post
Hello,

I have some doubts regarding use of Linux groups...

What are benefits of groups?
They make it possible for groups of people to have specific
rights on e.g. a directory that others don't.


Quote:
Originally Posted by proNick View Post
Hello,
How can I change group properties?
Che?

Quote:
Originally Posted by proNick View Post
Ie. how can I define that users in group 'users' can access to cdrom, without adding all members of group 'users' into group 'cdrom'?
You can't. But in my prefered editor it's a 10 second job to tack
all "users" users onto "cdrom".


Quote:
Originally Posted by proNick View Post
Or, benefit of the groups are strictly related with access rights to files and directories?


Thank you in advance!
I fail to see how that warrants an "or". That is indeed the whole point.

user, group, other. Access rights to files and directories, done in a
very simple manner.


Cheers,
Tink
 
Old 04-26-2012, 12:40 PM   #3
DavidMcCann
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For most people, groups don't really matter. It's only if you have a network or a shared computer that they come in useful. On a family-shared machine, for example, you could create a new group "parents". Then some files could be placed in that group with full access, while access for members of other groups made read-only or forbidden. This would control the children's access to the files, but allow both parents access them.
 
Old 04-26-2012, 01:06 PM   #4
suicidaleggroll
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Quote:
Originally Posted by proNick View Post
Ie. how can I define that users in group 'users' can access to cdrom, without adding all members of group 'users' into group 'cdrom'?
You would define a new group for this device called say "cdrom", and add only the users you want to be able to access it to that group.

Remember, files/directories/devices can only belong to one group
Users can belong to as many groups as necessary

For example, you could define groups for security levels 1-5, called "sgroup1", "sgroup2", and so on. Any file that should only be accessed by levels 3 or higher should be set to sgroup3. Then your users can be granted access to the groups as necessary. So "Jesse" might only belong to sgroup1, giving him access to any files/directories/devices that are level 1, but nothing higher. Meanwhile "Richard" might belong to sgroup1, sgroup2, sgroup3, and sgroup4, giving him access to any files/directories/devices belonging to those four groups, but not those belonging to sgroup5.

Increasing or decreasing a user's access involves only adding them to or removing them from a group. Increasing or decreasing a file/directory/device's security level involves only changing which group it belongs to.

Last edited by suicidaleggroll; 04-26-2012 at 01:10 PM.
 
Old 04-26-2012, 01:22 PM   #5
TobiSGD
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DavidMcCann View Post
For most people, groups don't really matter.
Just for clarification, this is only true because many distributions put a new created user per default in some groups that can be handy. For example, you can't shutdown/reboot the machine from GUI if you aren't in the power group, etc. .
 
  


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