Chapter 5

Configuring Access to CIFS Shares

Assigning access rights

About this chapter

This chapter describes how to assign users and groups access rights to CIFS shares (directories) using the cifs command; see the System Administrator's Guide for instructions about using Windows NT Server Manager to assign access rights. If you did not purchase a license for the CIFS protocol, continue with Chapter 6, "Configuring Clients to Access the Filer."

Scope of shares access

The rights you assign to a share apply to the entire share; for example, if you assign a user rights to a share named HOME, the user gains rights to the directory specified by the HOME share and to all subdirectories under the directory. When you assign rights, they are recorded in the share ACL.

Introducing the cifs command

You use a specific form of the cifs command to grant users and groups access to CIFS shares. The command syntax is as follows:

cifs access share [-g] {user|group} rights

The command parameters are described in the following table.

Parameter Description
access Specifies that an access entry is to be created.
share Specifies the name of the share.
-g Specifies that the user|group name is a group.
user|group Specifies the name of the user or group for which access to the share is granted.
rights Specifies which rights the user or group have to the share. Rights are specified by three characters, rwx, which stand for read, write, and execute. A dash (-) in any position denies the user the right specified by the character it replaces. Examples: rwx grants read, write, and execute rights.
r-- grants only the right to read files.
rw- grants only the rights to read and write files.
r-x grants only the rights to read and execute files.

Note: The cifs access command allows spaces for separating the rights.


Examples of the cifs command

The following table shows three example access entries created with the cifs command.

Description Command example
Assign members of the group "marketing" read and execute rights to the HOME share.
cifs access HOME -g marketing r-x
Assign members of the group "engineering" read, write, and execute rights to the HOME share.
cifs access HOME -g engineering rwx
Deny the user "cyoung" all rights to the HOME share.
cifs access HOME cyoung ---

Entering commands

You can enter filer commands

Complete the following steps to establish access to shares.

Step Action
1 Select a method for entering filer commands.
2 Enter the cifs command once for each group or user to which you need to grant access to a share.
3 Repeat the process of granting access for each share.

Copyright © 1999, Network Appliance, Inc. All rights reserved.

Part No. 210-02343
File: cifs_shr.htm
Last updated: 02/25/99 17:35:04