rwx Understanding Unix Permissions

UNIX is the operating system on which your website resides. Using software like Fetch, WS-FTP, or CuteFTP, you do not need to know any special commands to upload or download your files.

The Guestbook, however, requires that some changes be made on the server to your gbook.cfg and guestbook.html files after they are uploaded into your account. Because these files are changed after each person uses your guestbook, they must be set to accept changes.

An overview of UNIX permissions

By default, all files on your account have been set to allow you to read and write to them, and to allow others only to read them. The gbook.cfg must be updated after each hit to change the HITNO variable. You must manually change the permissions for the configuration file to allow it to be written to.

Changing the Permissions of gbook.cfg

For both Macintosh and PC users, first upload the gbook.cfg file.

Macintosh Users

1. Open Fetch and log into the web server.
2. Single click on the file "gbook.cfg"
3. Open the "Remote" menu and select "Set Permissions..."
   • For "Owner" check all three boxes.
   • For "Group" and "Everyone" check the "Read" and "Write" boxes
4. Quit Fetch

PC Users

1. Open WS-FTP and log into the web server.
2. On the Remote column, click once with the right mouse button.
3. Select FTP Commands. Click SITE.
4. Type in: chmod 766 gbook.cfg and press return
5. Click the exit button

Make sure that you also change the permissions for the guestbook.html file.