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As previously noted, a file can be in only one state at a time. However, the file permission state of the file may be changed. If a file is in POSIX, it can be changed to an ACL file by opening it in Windows Explorer and modifying the permissions. If a file is in ACL, it can be changed to a POSIX file by running the following command on the PowerScale CLI:
chmod –b XXX <filename>
The XXX specifies the new POSIX permission. A bulk file state change from ACL to POSIX for all files and directories requires a custom script. Exercise extreme caution because this action affects all files and directories.
Note: The following script has an impact across an entire cluster. Ensure that you fully understand the impact of the script before running it. As with any significant change to a production cluster, first run the script in a lab environment to completely understand the repercussions.
To convert every file and directory from ACL to POSIX, run the following script:
find /ifs/path/to/change | while read FILENAME
do
PERM=$(stat -f "%OLp" "$FILENAME")
echo "$FILENAME: $PERM"
chmod -b "$PERM" "$FILENAME"
done
Another option for bulk file changes is the OneFS Permission Repair job. For more information about Permission Repair jobs, see the PowerScale OneFS Permission Repair Job white paper.
This example illustrates a file starting in POSIX mode with a synthetic ACL, then changing to an ACL file, and finally changing back to a POSIX mode with a synthetic ACL.
The following figure illustrates a file named This_is_PowerScale.txt in POSIX mode with a synthetic ACL:
Figure 29. File with POSIX mode and synthetic ACL
When the file is opened in Windows Explorer, the file permissions are modified. The file state changes to ACL, as shown in the following figure:
Figure 30. File permissions are modified with Windows Explorer
To confirm the file state, run ls –le:
Figure 31. File in ACL mode
Now that the file is in ACL mode, changing it back to POSIX mode with a synthetic ACL requires running the chmod –b command. Run the following command to change the file back to POSIX mode with a synthetic ACL and a 755 permission:
chmod –b 755 This_is_PowerScale.txt
To confirm the file state, run ls –le:
Figure 32. File in POSIX mode with a synthetic ACL
Note: If a file state is unknown or an administrator does not understand how PowerScale implements multi-protocol, running chmod or chown, or updating file properties in Windows Explorer, it could lead to unexpected results. The results might be limited through OneFS ACL policies, which are cluster-wide policies. For more information, see OneFS ACL policies. Ensure that you have a thorough understanding of changing file states before making changes on a production cluster. We recommend that you test file state changes on the simulator.