Defining the umask for (PC)NFS-created files and directories

About file permissions

Unlike NFS users, (PC)NFS users cannot execute the UNIX umask command to set the file mode creation mask (umask), which determines the default file permissions. However, Data ONTAP enables you to define the umask for all (PC)NFS users.

How umask works for (PC)NFS-created files

The permissions for each file are defined by three octal values, which apply to owner, group, and other. When a (PC)NFS client creates a new file, Data ONTAP subtracts the umask, which is a three-digit octal number you define, from 666. The resulting octal digits are used as file permissions.

By default, the umask is 022, which means that the effective octal digits for permissions are 644. These permissions enable the file owner to read and write the file, and enable the group and other only to read the file.

Meaning of each digit in the umask

The following table provides the description for each digit in the umask.

Digit in the umask	Description
0	Read and write permissions
2	Write permission
4	Read-only permission
6	No permission

Defining the umask

To define the umask, complete the following step.

Step	Action
1	Enter the following command: options pcnfsd.umask umask umask is a three-digit octal number.