Folder Sets

By assigning each user account a Home Folder, Rumpus makes it easy to allow different people to have access to different folders.  However, there may be times when you need to allow a single user to have one set of file privileges in one folder, and another set of privileges in another folder.

For example, a given user account might be set so that the user can log in, view directories, and download files within their Home Folder (or the FTP Root, if no unique Home Folder is assigned).  However, you might choose to create a single folder (perhaps called "Uploads") in which the user has full access to upload and delete files and manage sub-folders.  This would be done using Folder Sets.

It is important to note that Folder Sets are not an alternative to creating or manipulating folders on the hard drive.  Folder Sets allow you to expand or restrict a user's privileges in folders that are already available within his or her Home Folder hierarchy.  In other words, Folder Sets allow you to override the privileges defined for each user account on a folder-by-folder basis, but do not by themselves create links to extend a user's access to areas of the hard drive outside of their Home Folder.  (For that, you would use a Finder Alias.)

Creating A Folder Set

The Folder Set window, like a number of other server management windows in Rumpus, includes the list of defined Folder Sets at left, and detail about each set at right.  To see the folders in any given set, select the set from the Folder Set list.  To see the privileges assigned to any particular folder in that set, select the folder in the Folders list, and the privilege checkboxes will update accordingly.

To create a new Folder Set, click the "Add Set" button just below the Folder Set list.  A sheet will drop down, asking you to provide a name for the new set.  Enter any easily recognizable name, such as "Upload Folders" or "Downloads Only".  If an existing set was selected in the Folder Set list, you will also have the option of starting the new set with the folders and privileges of the selected set.

Once the set is created, drag the folders that require special user access from the Mac OS Finder into the Folder list.  If you prefer, you can click the "Add Folder" button just below the Folders list and select the folder from the standard file selection box.  Once a folder has been added, simply select it and set the privileges as needed.

On the "Define Users" window, you can now select the Folder Set from the "Apply Folder Set" pop-up menu.  When the user logs in and moves into any folder specified in the set, the privileges selected for that folder will be used to override the privileges defined for the user account.

Notes On Using Folder Sets

When a user account is created where the user will have different privileges in different folders, it is not necessary to include every folder available to that user in their assigned Folder Set.  In other words, it is only necessary to create a folder set with the exceptional folders defined.

For example, you may have a case where a user should be given general, unrestricted privileges to their Home Folder hierarchy, but also the ability to access one or a few protected folders for download only.  In this case, assign the user account with full privileges on the "Management" tab of the "Define Users" window, then create a Folder Set listing only those folders to which access should be restricted.  Because the user account has default privileges that allow full access to any folder not listed in their assigned Folder Set, it is unnecessary to include other folders.

This Folder Set could even be applied to multiple user accounts, allowing you to effectively enhance the protection of a certain set of folders on the server. 

On the other hand, if a user is to have tightly restricted access to the server in general, set their user account privileges that way, and use the Folder Set to expand their privileges to the one or two folders in which they should have more extensive rights.