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How security styles affect data access

Each volume and qtree on the storage system has a security style. The security style determines what type of permissions are used for data on volumes when authorizing users. Security styles can differ between volume types.

  • What the security styles and their effects are
    There are four different security styles: UNIX, NTFS, mixed, and unified. Each security style has a different effect on how permissions are handled for data. You must understand the different effects to ensure that you select the appropriate security style for your purposes.
  • Where and when to set security styles
    Security styles can be set on FlexVol volumes (both root or data volumes) and qtrees. Security styles can be set manually at the time of creation, inherited automatically, or changed at a later time.
  • How to decide which security style to use on SVMs
    To help you decide which security style to use on a volume, you should consider two factors. The primary factor is the type of administrator that manages the file system. The secondary factor is the type of user or service that accesses the data on the volume.
  • How security style inheritance works
    If you do not specify the security style when creating a new FlexVol volume or a qtree, it inherits its security style in different ways.
  • How ONTAP preserves Linux permissions
    When files in a FlexVol volume that currently have Linux permissions are edited and saved by Windows applications, ONTAP can preserve the Linux permissions.
  • How to manage Linux permissions using the Windows Security tab
    If you want to manipulate Linux permissions of files or folders in mixed security-style volumes or qtrees on SVMs, you can use the Security tab on Windows clients. Alternatively, you can use applications that can query and set Windows ACLs.