RFC 180 (rfc180) - Page 2 of 4

File system questionnaire

Common types of defaults are:

         - device is disk
         - version number is largest in system

    For hierarchical file structures, descriptions may be fairly
    complex, but with lots of defaults; in such cases an illustration
    of a "normal" pathname might be helpful.

2.  Access control mechanisms - Access control mechanisms range from
    simply knowledge of a file's pathname to elaborate hierarchies
    of group-project-task-username membership with passwords and
    separate controls for reading and writing.  There are two
    aspects of the access control mechanism which are of interest:

    a.  A description of what inputs the user should give the file
        system, both at the time of file creation and at the time of
        retrieval, in order to define the permitted modes of access
        and to gain access.  What are the syntax and semantics of
        these inputs?

    b.  A description of the ways in which the access control
        mechanism is designed to help (or hinder) the sharing of
        files.  For example, may two users "simultaniously" update a
        given file?  May the creator of the file define a set of
        authorized users to the file system (and how)?  Is it possible
        to define different access controls for various subunits of a
        given file?

3.  Directories - Many systems maintain file directories which are
    designed to be helpful to the user.  A directory might, for
    example, provide a list of all files created by a particular
    individual, along with some information regarding file size,
    file structure, access controls, etc.  In general, such systems
    allow the user to input a pathname and retrieve the directory to
    which that pathname refers.  Aspects of the directory structure of
    interest are:

    a.  What are the syntax and semantics of a directory pathname?

    b.  What use is a directory, i.e., what type of information
        does the directory contain?

    c.  What access controls are used for access to the directories?
        For example, must a user supply a password in order to
        retrieve a directory, and is this password typically the same
        as the password he would use to retrieve a file listed in that
        directory.