If a user is using UNIX and tries to open a file with an ACL in a mixed or NTFS (Windows NT security style) qtree, the filer uses NTFS security semantics to determine whether the user has access to the file.
The filer does this by converting the UNIX UID (User ID) into a Windows NT credential, which is also known as a WAFL (Write Anywhere File Layout) credential. Windows uses the credential to verify that a user has access rights to the file. A UNIX user can have both a UNIX name and a Windows name.
As part of the process of creating a WAFL credential, the filer contacts an NT domain controller to look up a user's SID (Security ID) and groups.
Windows verifies each request for access to files. Each access usually takes between 10 and 500 milliseconds, and can take longer because contacting a domain controller to create a WAFL credential is time-consuming. To reduce the time spent in contacting a domain controller, the filer can cache the WAFL credential in a credential cache. This cache is called the WAFL credential cache.
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Part No. 210-02334
File: multi22.htm
Last updated: 04/26/99 08:11:26