FTAM/9000 User's Guide

72 Chapter 5
FTAM File Protection
Introduction to FTAM File Protection
If a file has FTAM access control applied to it, the only users who can
perform a given action on a file are those users who have been explicitly
granted permission to perform that action with the file.
• Locking a file during access, to ensure the integrity of the data. Many
common activities can corrupt data if multiple users are permitted
simultaneous access. Therefore, HP-UX FTAM provides ways to
“shut-out” other users during critical operations.
For maximum flexibility in setting up or satisfying file protection on a
file, HP-UX FTAM uses a syntactic element called an
“action/concurrency string.” The form of an action/concurrency string is
concise, and uses specialized notation. Action/concurrency strings are
described later in this chapter.
To obtain exclusive access to a file (that is, to lock the file during your
access), HP-UX FTAM provides a “shortcut” for command–line
operations, the –X option. This option locks a file during the requested
operation. This option is also described later in this chapter.
Terms and Notation for FTAM File Protection
This section introduces the terminology surrounding FTAM file
protection. There are two key areas to understand:
• Permissions
• Concurrency control locks
These are covered in the next two subsections.