About file permissions

In order to allow Big Medium to manage your website, its settings and its html pages, you must change permissions for several files and directories to give Big Medium proper access to them. The method depends on the operating system of your web server:

• Unix-based (Linux, Mac OSX, Sun Solaris, etc.)
• Windows 2000
• Windows NT

Unix-based servers

The chmod command updates file permissions by using numeric settings to signify the permissions to apply to a file or directory. For the installation of Big Medium, you only need to worry about two of these numeric settings:

755: The Big Medium CGI directory (named "moxiebin" by default) should be set to 755 via chmod, as should all of the files ending in .cgi in that directory. This 755 setting allows these perl scripts to run when called via a web browser.

777: The Big Medium data directory (named "moxiedata" by default) should be set to 777 via chmod. This 777 setting allows Big Medium to update your settings andhtml pages.

666: The bm_setup.pl file in the Big Medium CGI (named "moxiebin" by default) directory should be set to 666 via chmod. This 666 setting allows Big Medium to maintain your global Big Medium settings.

How do I chmod a file or directory?

Most Unix server systems allow you to chmod files using an FTP application (e.g., WS_FTP or CuteFTP for Windows, and Fetch for Mac). Note that Dreamweaver, FrontPage and GoLive are not recommended for this purpose. If you’re unfamiliar with FTP, you may wish to ask a webmaster for assistance; he/she probably uses FTP to make changes to your website.

WS_FTP: Open WS_FTP and connect to your server. Highlight the file or directory whose permissions you would like to change, then right-click the file and select "chmod." A small window will appear with checkboxes. To set 777 permissions, check all boxes. To set 755 permissions, check all the left-column boxes below "owner", check the "read" and "execute" boxes below "group," and check the "read" and "execute" boxes below "other."

CuteFTP: Open CuteFTP and connect to your server. Right-click the file or directory whose permissions you would like to change. Choose "Change file attributes" and fill in the appropriate chmod number (755 or 777, according to the Big Medium installation instructions).

Fetch: Open Fetch and connect to your server. Highlight the file or directory whose permissions you would like to change, then choose "Set permissions" from the "Remote" menu. A small window will appear with checkboxes. To set 777 permissions, check all boxes. To set 755 permissions, check all boxes below "read", check just the top "owner" box below "write," and check all boxes below "search/execute."

Telnet alternative

If you have a basic understanding of using the unix command line, you may also telnet to the server to set your file permissions. After connecting to your server, navigate to the directory that holds the file or directory you would like to change:

cd /path/to/directory

Then type the following command, where filename is the name of the file or directory whose permissions you would like to change:

chmod 777 filename
or
chmod 755 filename

Getting an error via FTP or telnet?

Watch for errors returned by the FTP client or by telnet when you attempt to chmod a file or directory. Sometimes chmod is disabled by an ISP or hosting provider. Ask the provider to make these changes for you. Also, sometimes a file or directory is not "owned" by the user. An attempt to chmod will receive a "permission denied" error. Ask the admin or hosting provider to chmod for you or change ownership of the files or directories to your account so that you may properly manage your site.

Advanced note: When CGIWrap or other setuid systems are in use, 777 permissions may not be allowed. Consult your ISP or provider's CGIWrap FAQ or consult the admin. Follow any special instructions for setting permissions for CGIWrap instead of the Big Medium installation directions.

Windows 2000 servers

Changing permissions for a directory can be done only by an authorized system administrator. If you are the customer of a web-hosting company, please contact the company's support staff to make the following changes.

1. On the server's desktop, right-click on the directory to update and select "Properties." Click the "Security" tab.
2. Select the "Internet Guest Account," check the "Allow inheritable permissions to propagate to this object" setting in the bottom left of the window, and click the "Advanced" button. Select all of the options except "Full Control" in the Allow column.
3. Click "OK" to approve these settings. A window will pop up asking you to confirm the change. Click "Yes."

Windows NT servers

Changing permissions for a directory can be done only by an authorized system administrator. If you are the customer of a web-hosting company, please contact the company's support staff to make the following changes.

1. Open NT Explorer by selecting "Programs>Windows NT Explorer" from the Start menu.
2. Right-click the directory to update, and select "Properties." Click the "Security" tab at the top right of the window and then click the "Permissions" button. A list of users with permissions for this directory will be displayed. Click the "Add..." button.
3. In the next window, click "Show Users" to list all available users on the system. (This may be a long list; please wait until it loads).
4. Find and click the user named "IUSR_[your computer's name] (Internet Guest Internet Server Anonymous Access)." At the bottom of the window is a pop-up menu labeled "Type of Access." Click this pop-up menu and select "Change."
5. Click the "Add..." button, and the user will appear in the "Add Names" box, followed by "Change (RWXD)(RWXD)." Click OK.
6. Check that both the "Replace Permissions on Subdirectories" and "Replace Permissions on Existing Files" options are checked. Click OK to apply the permissions and then "OK" to close the Properties window.

Need more help?

For further assistance and documentation, visit the website of Global Moxie, the developer behind Big Medium.