Let's Manipulate Permissions and Ownership!

Linux has a simple, but powerful permissions system based on 3 different potential users. The user/owner, anyone in the group, and everyone else on the system. Using those combined with read, write, and execute, it's possible to fine tune who can do what to files and directories on a system.

We use the tools chmod and chown in order to make changes, and as a bonus, we learn to make the changes using the octal notation shortcut. It seems mundane, but playing with permissions is actually kinda fun!

This video based on:
LPI Linux Essentials
Objective 5.3 - Managing File Permissions and Ownership

#LPI #LinuxEssentials #Exam_010_160 #Linux

Find me online:

Check out my comic!

[Kobalt]

btw octal notation is on the linux exam. you have to know what it means and what permissions it gives

[Quasar]

I'll be taking my LPI exam probably in a week or so. I'm new to Linux and was pretty intimidated. Your videos have broken everything down and make it super simple! I put Linux on a VM and do the commands as you're doing them and it's not only making sense but it's also kind of fun. Thank you for your videos! It's criminal your channel isn't bigger. You are a huge help to not only me but many others.

[damianpodgorski]

I am so glad you are going in more depths than Linux Essentials Exam objectives!

[Henry-vwxg]

Shawn, thank you for your video series. I used this series extensively while preparing for my Linux Essentials exam. I'm glad you covered octal notation. I had multiple questions that required me to understand what octal notation is. For the section regarding Security and File Permissions, I scored 100%. Overall 710/800.

Thank you!

[damianpodgorski]

Shawn, you inspire me so much! I heard your car accident story, very moving. I am so inspired that I am going to mention your YouTube channel on one of the tech talks I am going to deliver in my company (Blue Yonder, Panasonic)

[aleksandartyankov]

you could also change the group ownership using the chgrp command :)
also, thanks a lot for this whole series, your explanation of the octal notation helped me finally understand it!

[espana]

Awesome video Shawn. Thanks for covering octal notations! I built a simple octal calculator using Excel based on the information in your video.

[yanib]

@10:45 we can use user : group instead of a . that will also works

[th]

I laughed hysterically for about a full minute after the Tool Time reference. 10/10

[mudasir]

Excellent explanation....keep them coming !

[georgejones]

The only example I think of where a write to, but no read permission is allowed would be a log of some kind.

[abdigamingoo]

oooh thank you so much finally understood octal notation i like the way how u teach

[shobem]

It boggled my mind to learn that the wider permissions aren't umbrellas that include the former. It's such an unintuitive behavior that the owner and group owner of a file actually can't access it if the permission is set to 077 since it only checks user permission and stops. 😵‍💫

[jorgevalencia]

FYI - had one octal notation question on the exam

[jkaranja]

Great content. I passed my linux essential cert. Kindly do videos on : Linux Professional Institute LPIC-1

[kirstencrocker]

I made the mistake of skipping over octal notation & it was on the exam

[gctypo]

I've been pronouncing "chuh-mod" and "chown" since I first started using them.

[dotmars]

If a user is part of a group, do they inherit those permissions as well? For example, with the hat file:

User can read and execute (but not write). But the group can write and execute (but not read). If the user cannot write but is part of a group that can write, do they inherit write permissions?

[ihsansaleem]

Octal notation is quite comprehensive.

[abdigamingoo]

09:40 chmod= easy to read like change mode
chown= change ownership :-)