How to share files between user accounts on windows linux or os x

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Your operating system provides each user account with its own folders when you set up several different user accounts on the same computer. Shared folders allow you to share files between user accounts.

This process works similarly on Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X. These are all powerful multi-user operating systems with similar folder and file permission systems.

Windows

On Windows, the “Public” user’s folders are accessible to all users. You’ll find this folder under C:\Users\Public by default. Files you place in any of these folders will be accessible to other users, so it’s a good way to share music, videos, and other types of files between users on the same computer.

Windows even adds these folders to each user’s libraries by default. For example, a user’s Music library contains the user’s music folder under C:\Users\NAME\as well as the public music folder under C:\Users\Public\. This makes it easy for each user to find the shared, public files. It also makes it easy to make a file public — just drag and drop a file from the user-specific folder to the public folder in the library.

These Public folders can also be used to share folders publicly on the local network. You’ll find the Public folder sharing option under Advanced sharing settings in the Network and Sharing Control Panel.

You could also choose to make any folder shared between users, but this will require messing with folder permissions in Windows. To do this, right-click a folder anywhere in the file system and select Properties. Use the options on the Security tab to change the folder’s permissions and make it accessible to different user accounts. You’ll need administrator access to do this.

Linux

This is a bit more complicated on Linux, as typical Linux distributions don’t come with a special user folder all users have read-write access to. The Public folder on Ubuntu is for sharing files between computers on a network.

You can use Linux’s permissions system to give other user accounts read or read-write access to specific folders. The process below is for Ubuntu 14.04, but it should be identical on any other Linux distribution using GNOME with the Nautilus file manager. It should be similar for other desktop environments, too.

Locate the folder you want to make accessible to other users, right-click it, and select Properties. On the Permissions tab, give “Others” the “Create and delete files” permission. Click the Change Permissions for Enclosed Files button and give “Others” the “Read and write” and “Create and Delete Files” permissions.

Other users on the same computer will then have read and write access to your folder. They’ll find it under /home/YOURNAME/folder under Computer. To speed things up, they can create a link or bookmark to the folder so they always have easy access to it.

Mac OS X

Mac OS X creates a special Shared folder that all user accounts have access to. This folder is intended for sharing files between different user accounts. It’s located at /Users/Shared.

To access it, open the Finder and click Go > Computer. Navigate to Macintosh HD > Users > Shared. Files you place in this folder can be accessed by any user account on your Mac.

These tricks are useful if you’re sharing a computer with other people and you all have your own user accounts — maybe your kids have their own limited accounts. You can share a music library, downloads folder, picture archive, videos, documents, or anything else you like without keeping duplicate copies.

People who use the same Mac with different user accounts can share files with one another using the computer’s Shared folder or using their individual Public and Drop Box folders.

The computer’s Shared folder is located in Macintosh HD/Users. Your Public folder is located inside your home folder, and your Drop Box folder is located inside your Public folder.

Make a file available to all users of your Mac

You can use either the computer’s Shared folder or your Public folder to make an item available to other users.

On your Mac, do any of the following:

Put a file in your Public folder: Click the desktop to make sure you’re in the Finder, choose Go > Home, then drag the file (or a copy of it) into your Public folder.

Put a file in the computer’s Shared folder: Click the desktop to make sure you’re in the Finder, choose Go > Go to Folder, type in /Users/Shared, press Return, then drag the file (or a copy of it) into the Shared folder.

Files in a user’s Public folder or in the Shared folder can be read by all users of the Mac, but edited or deleted by only the owner of the file. If you want to allow other users to edit those files, you need to change the file permissions. See Change permissions for files, folders, or disks.

Use a drop box to share a file with another user of your Mac

You can use drop boxes to share files with individual users.

In the Finder on your Mac, choose Go > Go to Folder.

Enter /Users/[username]/Public, then press Return.

Drag the item (or a copy of it) into the Drop Box folder.

Even though you can put items in another user’s Drop Box, you can’t open any Drop Box except your own.

If you have setup different user accounts on your Mac, you will know that each user account comes with its own settings and home folders, which can only be accessed by the respective logged-in user. By default, for security and privacy purpose, OS X doesn’t allow any user to access the files of another user. However, there are times where you just want to move the photos from your folder to your Mum’s user account so she can view them when she login. So what are the best ways to share files between user accounts?

Your main option would be to make use of the “Shared Users” folder to easily copy files and access them from different user accounts.

This “Shared Users” folders is located in the “Users” folder at the root level of the system drive. The Users folder also contains all the User Account Home folders. It also contains all the data that is created by each of OS X’s user accounts. Your Home Folder is additionally identified by an icon of a house. You will also find the Shared Folder within the Users Folder.

Now, as I mentioned before, each user’s Home folder is off-limits to any other users, but the Shared folder is there for all users to use freely when files need to be shared. Remember, this Shared folder is only for local use – we won’t recommend using it to share files between machines or between different devices on a network.

Here’s how to access the Shared Users folder on your Mac:

1. In Finder, click on “Go” in the toolbar.

2. From the drop-down list, click on “Go to folder”.

3. Type in “ /Users/Shared ” (without the quotes, of course).

4. In the Shared folder, you can add various files and folders to be freely accessed by different OS X users.

Now remember, the files that you put in this Shared folder are owned by you, meaning that other accounts may not have the permission to open, modify, delete or even see your files, so you’ll need to take extra care of that.

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• University of Utah – Mac OS History
• Computerworld – The Evolution of MacOS (and Mac OS X)

Mac OS, operating system (OS) developed by the American computer company Apple Inc. The OS was introduced in 1984 to run the company’s Macintosh line of personal computers (PCs). The Macintosh heralded the era of graphical user interface (GUI) systems, and it inspired Microsoft Corporation to develop its own GUI, the Windows OS.

Apple’s marketing for the introduction of the Macintosh focused heavily on its operating system’s intuitive ease of use. Unlike virtually all other contemporary PCs, the Mac OS (initially designated simply System Software, with a version number appended) was graphically based. Rather than typing commands and directory paths at text prompts, users moved a mouse pointer to visually navigate the Finder—a series of virtual folders and files, represented by icons. Most computer operating systems eventually adopted the GUI model. In the 1980s Apple made an agreement allowing Microsoft to use certain aspects of the Mac interface in early versions of Windows. However, except for a brief period in the 1990s, Mac OS has never been licensed for use with computers made by manufacturers other than Apple.

Later Mac OS releases introduced features such as Internet file sharing, network browsing, and multiple user accounts. In 1996 Apple acquired rival NeXT Computers, which was founded by Steven Jobs after his departure from Apple, and in 2001 the company rolled out Mac OS X, a major redesign based on both the NextStep system and Apple’s most recent OS release. OS X ran on a UNIX kernel (core software code) and offered technical advances such as memory protection and preemptive multitasking, along with a more versatile Finder, an elegant-looking interface called Aqua, and a convenient graphical “Dock” bar for launching frequently used applications. Updates to OS X added features such as automated backups and a “Dashboard” manager for small, handy applications called widgets.

From 2007 Apple unveiled a number of mobile devices that could access the Internet, including the iPhone smartphone and the iPad tablet computer. Apple soon emphasized the ability of OS X to connect with these devices. In 2011 Apple introduced iCloud, a cloud computing service that allowed users to share data among all of their Apple devices, for both OS X and the mobile operating system iOS. Apple added more features allowing connectivity between devices to successive updates of OS X, iOS, and later watchOS (the operating system for the Apple Watch smartwatch). These features included the ability to receive phone calls (made to the iPhone) and the means of quickly sharing data (such as photos and text) among devices.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Erik Gregersen.

University of Helsinki – orientation (2 sp)

As already mentioned, in addition to the hardware, a computer also needs a set of programs—an operating system—to control the devices. This page will discuss the following:

• There are different kinds of operating systems : such as Windows, Linux and Mac OS
• There are also different versions of these operating systems, e.g. Windows 7, 8 and 10
• Operating systems can be used with different user interfaces (UI) : text user interfaces (TUI) and graphical user interfaces (GUI) as examples
• Graphical user interfaces have many similarities in different operating systems : such as the start menu, desktop etc.

When you can recognize the typical parts of each operating system’s user interface, you will mostly be able to use both Windows and Linux as well as e.g. Mac OS.

The role of operating system in the computer

An operating system (OS) is a set of programs which ensures the interoperability of the hardware and software in your computer. The operating system enables, among other things,

• the identification and activation of devices connected to the computer,
• the installation and use of programs, and
• the handling of files.

What happens when you turn on your computer or smartphone?
– The computer checks the functionality of its components and any devices connected to it, and starts to look for the OS on a hard drive or other memory media.
– If the OS is found, the computer starts to load it into the RAM (Random Access Memory).
– When the OS has loaded, the computer waits for commands from you.

Different operating systems

Over the years, several different operating systems have been developed for different purposes. The most typical operating systems in ordinary computers are Windows, Linux and Mac OS.

Windows

The name of the Windows OS comes from the fact that programs are run in “windows”: each program has its own window, and you can have several programs open at the same time. Windows is the most popular OS for home computers, and there are several versions of it. The newest version is Windows 10.

Linux and Unix

Linux is an open-source OS, which means that its program code is freely available to software developers. This is why thousands of programmers around the world have developed Linux, and it is considered the most tested OS in the world. Linux has been very much influenced by the commercial Unix OS.

In addition to servers, Linux is widely used in home computers, since there are a great number of free programs for it (for text and image processing, spreadsheets, publishing, etc.). Over the years, many different versions of Linux have become available for distribution, most of which are free for the user (such as Ubuntu, Fedora and Mint, to name a few).

Mac OS X

Apple’s Mac computers have their own operating system, OS X. Most of the programs that are available for PCs are also available for Macs running under OS X, but these two types of computers cannot use the exact same programs: for example, you cannot install the Mac version of the Microsoft Office suite on a Windows computer. You can install other operating systems on Mac computers, but the OS X is only available for computers made by Apple. Apple’s lighter portable devices (iPads, iPhones) use a light version of the same operating system, called iOS.

Mac computers are popular because OS X is considered fast, easy to learn and very stable and Apple’s devices are considered well-designed—though rather expensive.

Android

Android is an operating system designed for phones and other mobile devices. Android is not available for desktop computers, but in mobile devices it is extremely popular: more than a half of all mobile devices in the world run on Android.

User interfaces

A user interface (UI) refers to the part of an operating system, program, or device that allows a user to enter and receive information. A text-based user interface (see the image to the left) displays text, and its commands are usually typed on a command line using a keyboard. With a graphical user interface (see the right-hand image), the functions are carried out by clicking or moving buttons, icons and menus by means of a pointing device.

Larger image: text UI | graphical UI

The images contain the same information: a directory listing of a computer. You can often carry out the same tasks regardless of which kind of UI you are using.

Text user interface (TUI)

Modern graphical user interfaces have evolved from text-based UIs. Some operating systems can still be used with a text-based user interface. In this case, the commands are entered as text (e.g., “cat story.txt”).

To display the text-based Command Prompt in Windows, open the Start menu and type cmd. Press Enter on the keyboard to launch the command prompt in a separate window. With the command prompt, you can type your commands from the keyboard instead of using the mouse.

Graphical user interface

In most operating systems, the primary user interface is graphical, i.e. instead of typing the commands you manipulate various graphical objects (such as icons) with a pointing device. The underlying principle of different graphical user interfaces (GUIs) is largely the same, so by knowing how to use a Windows UI, you will most likely know how to use Linux or some other GUI.

Most GUIs have the following basic components:

• a start menu with program groups
• a taskbar showing running programs
• a desktop
• various icons and shortcuts.

I have a folder on a Linux server and I have to transfer that file from there to my Mac desktop. I have never done it.

What is the best way to do that? I am trying to use terminal but is there any tool like WinSCP to do that?

5 Answers 5

Install openSSH on the linux server. Assuming a debian based distribution, do this:

Open a terminal and copy the files:

i. From Linux to Mac (run from the Linux machine):

ii. From Linux to Mac (run from the Mac):

The general syntax of the scp command is the following.

To copy a file from the local server to the remote one:

To copy a file from the remote server to the local one:

You can use SSH File Transfer Protocol, sftp from your Mac terminal.

Enter the [email protected]_server’s password:

Just in case you are not certain about the file name, you can change to the source directory and list the segments in your source directory

WinSCP is a SFTP/SCP/FTP client for Windows.

Similar clients exist for the Mac – good examples are Transmit and Cyberduck.

Transmit and Cyberduck understand FTP, SFTP and WebDAV but it entirely depends how the linux server is set up whether you can access that particular folder with one of those services.

If it’s going to be a regular exercise, then have a look at installing OS X FUSE / MacFUSE, see:

Perhaps the easiest and most flexible way to transfer files to your Mac desktop from Linux is using Midnight Commander. To do so network the two machines, install mc on the Linux box, enable Remote Login on the Mac and use Shell login to connect to your Mac in Midnight Commander.

A sample connection string for shell logins looks like:

Use that in Midnight Commander if your Mac has a hostname mbp and is on the local network. For instructions with screenshots visit Copy Files from Linux to macOS Desktop.

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In MacOS “El Capitan” – for sharing purposes, the server is MacOS and the client is Ubuntu

Was created at Users & Groups :

• a new user named for example omicron how standard type (and not Sharing Only ) with the purpose to share a directory and to let this account execute some scripts assigned to this account and access to the OS environment. I confirmed that the Sharing Only type does not create neither a home directory nor a shell access ( su – omicron ), and even according with: “su – non-root” arises “su sorry”
• a new group named omicron and assigned (membership) to omicron user. I want work how in Linux, have the most similar about the same name for user and group.

About Sharing – File Sharing :

• A directory was added through the Shared Folders pane
• Through the Users pane the omicron user was added with Read & Write permissions, removed the Staff group, added the omicron group with Read & Write permissions, keep it the Everyone group with No Access permission
• The Options button was pressed and was checked/enabled Share files and folders using SMB and Share files and folders using AFP . Furthermore was checked the On checkbox for the omicron user.

If in the client Ubuntu through the GUI is used smb://hostname/directorynameshared , it is mounted, and is possible create anything and execute any script, it in:

• $XDG_RUNTIME_DIR/gvfs/smb-share:server=hostname,share=directorynameshared

The unique disadvantage is that in the server is not possible edit/access that new content because the user/groups are not the same, it is solved with chown in the server side. Anyway the directory is unmounted later.

Now, the reason of this post, if the following is used (Ubuntu to MacOS) – remember the user in the server is omicron and through the id command is confirmed that the user has uid 505 gid 507 , therefore:

Is possible execute the scripts, but is not possible create new content:

• mkdir: cannot create directory ‘xyz’: Permission denied

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Azure Files is Microsoft’s easy-to-use cloud file system. Azure file shares can be mounted with the industry standard SMB 3 protocol by macOS High Sierra 10.13+. This article shows two different ways to mount an Azure file share on macOS: with the Finder UI and using the Terminal.

Prerequisites for mounting an Azure file share on macOS

Storage account name: To mount an Azure file share, you will need the name of the storage account.

Storage account key: To mount an Azure file share, you will need the primary (or secondary) storage key. SAS keys are not currently supported for mounting.

Ensure port 445 is open: SMB communicates over TCP port 445. On your client machine (the Mac), check to make sure your firewall is not blocking TCP port 445.

Applies to

Mount an Azure file share via Finder

Open Finder: Finder is open on macOS by default, but you can ensure it is the currently selected application by clicking the “macOS face icon” on the dock:

Select “Connect to Server” from the “Go” Menu: Using the UNC path from the prerequisites, convert the beginning double backslash ( \\ ) to smb:// and all other backslashes ( \ ) to forwards slashes ( / ). Your link should look like the following:

Use the storage account name and storage account key when prompted for a username and password: When you click “Connect” on the “Connect to Server” dialog, you will be prompted for the username and password (This will be autopopulated with your macOS username). You have the option of placing the storage account name/storage account key in your macOS Keychain.

Use the Azure file share as desired: After substituting the share name and storage account key in for the username and password, the share will be mounted. You may use this as you would normally use a local folder/file share, including dragging and dropping files into the file share:

Mount an Azure file share via Terminal

ReplaceВ , , and В with the appropriate values for your environment.

Use the Azure file share as desired: The Azure file share will be mounted at the mount point specified by the previous command.

How to share files with someone who does not have a Microsoft Cloud account (e.g. [email protected]).

Quick start

1. In your OneDrive file view, right-click the file you want to share.
2. Choose Share from the pop-up menu.
3. Enter the name of the person you want to share with.
4. Un-tick the ‘require sign-in‘ checkbox.
5. Click Share.

Detailed instructions

1. In this example we are going to share the right-hand photograph, pharos.jpeg, with the user [email protected]. Start with your files showing in your browser:

Right-click on the file to share to reveal a menu of options. Click the Share menu item at the top of the menu:

This will pop up a dialogue box to set the options. Start typing the email address for the user. If you have not used this address before, it will be flagged as ‘no results‘ until you complete the address. Once the address is complete it will also appear in the drop-down menu – click the name to select it:

The system alerts you that the user in question ‘is outside of your organization’. This means that this particular email address is outside of the University’s Active Directory:

Given that the user will not be able to authenticate against the Microsoft Cloud you should un-tick the ‘require sign-in‘ checkbox. If you do not wish them to be able to edit your file, change ‘Can edit‘ to ‘Can view’ (i.e. open in read-only mode) from the drop-down menu beside their name. Then click the Share button:

Control is then returned to the previous page and you will see a confirmation pop-up message apear for a few seconds:

The receiving user, bob.dowling.xx, will receive an email carrying your message and a link to the file that has been shared. This email does not come from you and cannot be (usefully) replied to.

If the user clicks the link in the email they will be be prompted to download the file:

Depending on local configuration options, this may launch the file viewer locally.

Jul 13, 2020 · 3 min read

Start by creating a “sharing only” user account on the Mac OS. This allows for a secure way to share files over the network by allowing access to certain folders of your choice without having to share your admin credentials.

1. Go to System Preferences, then click Users & Groups.

2. Click the lock icon at the bottom of the pane, enter an administrator name and password, then click Unlock.

3. Click the Add button at the bottom of the list on the left.

4. Click the New Account pop-up menu, then choose Sharing Only.

5. Enter a name and password for the user.

6. Click Create User

1. Go to System Preferences, then click Sharing. Click on the plus icon under Shared Folders to add a new shared folder or select a folder you would like to share.

2. Add the account we just created to the Users section and change the permission to Read & Write.

3. Choose Options, then make sure the Share files and folders using SMB option is checked. Under Windows File Sharing, the account we just created should be selected to access the folder.

Get Mac’s IP Address by:
1. Go to System Preferences and select Network. Select your current connected network then you can find the IP address of your computer.
OR
2. Type the following in the terminal.

Enter the SMB path in the File Manager’s folder path. For the folder we just created, that would be smb://username/Shared Folder where username is the hostname or the IP address of Mac from the last step and Shared Folder is the drive or folder name that has to be accessed ( smb is a program of samba distribution that allows interoperability between Linux/UNIX server and windows client)

Click on Registered User and enter the credentials of the sharing only MAC user account we created in step 1 and connect.

Now Kali Linux has been set up for use with the network shared folder created on the Mac.
You can also check using the findsmb command, it is a perl script that lists info about machines that respond to SMB name queries on the same subnet.

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Give staff an easy, flexible and secure way to share files and folders. Safely involve contacts outside your organization with select documents. Share public links shielded by passwords and expiration dates.

Say goodbye to slow VPN connections, unversioned documents attached to emails and shadow IT in public clouds of questionable security.

Modern teams collaborate from anywhere and from any device. Make them more efficient by enabling them to store, share and work on their data and documents through a single point of access.

Work simultaneously on documents, create presentations together in real-time, annotate files and much more, thereby saving time on coordination and feedback processes.

We believe that the needs for data sovereignty and real-time collaboration can be reconciled in private clouds. Learn how we can help you gain digital sovereignty.

All-new generation collaboration platform

The all–new ownCloud Infinite Scale, written in Go, using microservices, brings unparalleled scale and speed.

Users love ownCloud

Our latest news

Coming up soon: The CS3 conference including tech talks about ownCloud Infinite Scale and more!

The Cloud Storage, Synchronization and Sharing conference “CS3” will be held at the end of the month with lots of technical content.

How to install ownCloud Infinite Scale Tech Preview in three easy steps

Want to try out ownCloud Infinite Scale Tech Preview? It is easy, we’ll show you how to install ownCloud Infinite Scale.

Syncing Faster: ownCloud Server 10.9 released

ownCloud Server 10.9 brings several major enhancements, among them speeding up initial sync, adding more control to file locking, version control and public sharing. Many of our applications such as Media Viewer, PDF Viewer, Windows Network Drive and ownCloud Web have received updates.

Q. How do I delete a user on a shared Mac that is on OS X El Capitan, and what would happen to all the photos, documents and other files in that person’s account?

A. The Mac’s OS X operating system, like Windows and Linux, allows multiple users to each have their own account and password on the computer, where they can keep their files and settings separate. If your account is at the administrator level and not a standard or other managed account, you can delete other user accounts. When you do, you have the option of saving that user’s files and settings or wiping the data entirely from the Mac.

To start, open the System Preferences from either the icon in the Dock, or by selecting System Preferences under the Apple Menu in the top-left corner of the Mac’s menu bar. In the System Preferences box, click the Users & Groups icon. In the Users & Groups box, click the Lock icon in the bottom-left corner and type in your administrator name and password.

In the list of users on the left side of the box, select the account you want to delete and click the Remove button below the names. A box appears with several options regarding that account’s home folder, which is the place where all of the user’s personal files and settings are kept.

For one, you can delete the account — but create a disk image archive file of the home folder — in case you think the person might return to the Mac and want the files. You can also just delete the account, but leave the home folder where it is. Like the first option, this one also lets you later restore the account and its files if needed. (As a precaution before they go, departing users might want to create backup copies of their files to take along.)

As a final option, you can delete the account and all of its data — and even securely erase it all so those files are gone for good. Once you have made your decision, click the Delete User button.

The best way to transfer files between systems or to share data with colleagues depends on the context. For example, you might want to move or copy data that you own from the GLADE system to a university storage resource or from GLADE to NCAR Campaign Storage. At another time, you might want to share data that you have on GLADE with someone who does not have access to NCAR systems.

There are several ways of accomplishing these transfer and sharing tasks. Review the descriptions of each below and follow the links provided for details.

Page contents

• Transferring files between systems
  • Globus
  • SCP and SFTP
  • BBCP
• Sharing data with colleagues
  • NCAR Data Sharing Service
  • Sharing via Google Drive and other services
  • UCAR FTP server

Transferring files between systems

Globus

CISL recommends using Globus to transfer files between systems – for example, between XSEDE facilities and the resources that CISL manages. The Globus platform also enables users to transfer files between their GLADE file spaces and the NCAR Campaign Storage file system.

Globus has both web and command line interfaces, and its Globus Connect feature enables users to move files to and from laptop or desktop computers and other systems. Globus has a typical transfer rate that ranges from 100 to 200 MBps.

SCP and SFTP

The installed Secure Copy Protocol (SCP) and Secure FTP (SFTP) utilities are best suited to transferring small numbers of small files to or from a local computer and the resources that CISL manages.

More information. Also see the SCP and SFTP man pages on the computer from which you will initiate transfers.

These other tools also can be used to make secure transfers between your local computer and CISL systems:

• FileZilla – SFTP for Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X users
• PSCP / PSFTP – PuTTY utilities including a Windows version
• WinSCP – SCP and SFTP transfers with a graphical user interface for Windows users

BBCP is a multi-streaming utility for transferring large files. It splits files into multiple streams that are transferred simultaneously, so it is faster than the single-streaming SCP and SFTP utilities.

Sharing data with colleagues

NCAR Data Sharing Service

This service enables users of NCAR’s GLADE storage and HPC systems for scientific computing to share files with colleagues and others who do not have NCAR user accounts.

Sharing via Google Drive and other services

Individuals who have GLADE access can copy files from GLADE and then share them with others via Google Drive or services such as DropBox and Amazon Web Services.

UCAR FTP server

CISL recommends using the NCAR Data Sharing Service for sharing files, but the FTP server is available to authorized UCAR and NCAR personnel who need it.

Superuser accounts are highly privileged accounts primarily used for administration by specialized IT employees. These users/accounts may have virtually unlimited privileges, or ownership, over a system. Superuser account privileges may allow:

full read/write/ execute privileges

creating or installing files or software

modifying files and settings

deleting users and data

Superuser Accounts in Windows, Linux, & Unix/Unix-like Systems

In Windows systems, the Administrator account holds superuser privileges. Each Windows computer has at least one administrator account. The Administrator account allows the user to install software, and change local configurations and settings, and more. Standard users have substantially curtailed privileges, while guest user accounts are generally limited even further, to just basic application access and internet browsing.

In Linux and Unix-like systems, the superuser account, called ‘root’, is virtually omnipotent, with unrestricted access to all commands, files, directories, and resources. Root can also grant and remove any permissions for other users. Mac OS X, is Unix-like, but unlike Unix and Linux, is rarely deployed as a server. As a default, Mac users run with root access, though, as a best security practice, a non-privileged account should be created and used for routine computing to reduce the potential and scope of privileged threats.

Security Implications of Superuser Accounts

If misused, either in error (i.e. inadvertently deleting an important file or mistyping a powerful command), or with malicious intent, superuser accounts can inflict catastrophic damage to a system/organization.

While most security technologies are developed to protect the perimeter, superusers are already on the inside. Superusers may be able to change firewall configurations, create backdoors, and override security settings, all the while erasing traces of their activity.

Inadequate policies and controls around superuser provisioning, segregation, and monitoring further heighten risks. Database administrators, network engineers, and application developers are frequently given full superuser access. Users often share superuser accounts between them, which muddles the audit trail. In the case of Windows PCs, users often log in with administrative account privileges—far broader than what is needed.

In one of the more notorious tales of a rogue insider, Edward Snowden, an IT contract worker for the NSA, abused his superuser privileges to access, copy, and leak over 1 million highly sensitive NSA files. In the wake of this scandal, the NSA targeted 90% of it system administrators for elimination, to better establish a least-privilege security model.

Hackers covet superuser accounts knowing that, once they assume these accounts, he/she essentially becomes a highly privileged insider. Additionally, malware that infects a superuser account, can leverage the same privilege rights of that account to cause damage and steal data.

How to Secure & Monitor Superuser Accounts

Organizations looking to rein in and protect superuser accounts will implement some or all of the following best practices:

Enforce least privilege access: Limit superuser membership to the minimum people. This can mean temporarily elevating privileges temporarily when needed, but without granting full superuser rights to the account. In Unix and Linux systems, the sudo command allows a normal user to temporarily elevate privileges to root-level, but without having direct access to the root account and password.

Segment systems and networks: By partitioning users and processes based on different levels of trust, needs, and privilege sets, you can constrain where and how a superuser can act.

Enforce separation of privileges: This will entail separating superuser functions from standard account requirements, separating auditing/logging capabilities within the administrative accounts, and separating system functions (read, edit, write, execute, etc.).

Enforce superuser password rotation and security: Passwords should meet rigorous security standards. Passwords should be regularly rotated, including after each use for the most powerful accounts.

Monitor and audit all superuser sessions: Record, log, audit, and control all superuser session activity to provide accountability and meet with compliance demands.

Technologies for Managing/Securing Superusers

Privilege Access Management (PAM), also called Privileged Identity Management (PIM) or just Privilege Management, involves the creation and deployment of solutions and strategies to manage superuser and other types of privileged accounts across an environment. PAM solutions:

Discover all superuser and privileged accounts

Enforce least privilege (remove admin rights)

Superuser privilege management (SUPM) – granular control over privilege elevation

Enforce password security best practices for superuser accounts

How to transfer files using SCP, SFTP, Fuse and S3

Why use SSH/SCP/SFTP for file transfer?

SCP and SFTP both run over ssh and are thus encrypted. There are implementations available for all common operating systems including Linux, Windows, and Mac OS X.

Windows

Linux

/username/

Mac OS X

/username/

To copy files from the central cluster to your computer

Type scp [email protected]:
• Download and install FUSE and SSHFS here.
• Make a local mount directory on your Mac. mkdir

/Desktop/HPC-Mount

• Run a command similar to the following, swapping out your username and directory name.
• sshfs -o allow_other,defer_permissions,auto_cache [email protected]:/home/remote-username
  1. Go to this address to setup a new globus endpoint
  2. Select California Institute of Technology > Continue
  3. Sign in with your access.caltech credentials
  4. Set the Endpoint display name to “central-hpc” (or something similar)
  5. Click ‘Generate setup key’ and copy that to a secure location.
  1. module load globusconnectpersonal/3.0.2
  2. globusconnectpersonal -setup
  3. globusconnectpersonal -start &

  /.globusonline/lta/config-paths, adding the following line after the existing one. The one in the configuration below sets the directory as read/write. Setting to 0 will set the directory to read-only in Globus.

  1. globusconnectpersonal -stop
  2. globusconnectpersonal -start &
  • Log into the cluster and run module load awscli/1.15.27
  • Type aws configure and enter your Amazon Web Services API key and private key. (You generate these in the IAM credential page in the AWS console).
  • Run a command similar to the following to copy data from S3 to your cluster home directory.
  • aws s3 cp –recursive s3://my-bucket-name/subfolder/

  /destination-directory/

• Run a command similar to the following to copy data from the cluster to a pre-existing S3 bucket.
• aws s3 cp –recursive

  /source-directory/ s3://my-bucket-name/subfolder/

• More s3 examples are available here.

Log into the cluster and run module load python/2.7.15 gcloud/latest

Run gcloud auth login to configure the Google SDK for your GCP account if needed.

Run following command to copy data from the cluster to Google Cloud Storage.

With Sketch, you need a Mac not only to design with but also to open and inspect files. If you are on Windows, Linux or Chrome you’re out of luck. Figma is platform-independent.

Inclusive by design

A UX design tool that allows the entire team to see and interact with the latest designs by accessing a single, live URL.

Develop a shared understanding with your whole team around the experience you are creating for your users.

Work in the same file at the same time without worrying about versioning or overriding each other’s work.

Drop comments directly on designs or prototypes to provide and recieve instant feedback, in context.

Design and get feedback, fast

Because Figma works on Windows, Linux, Chrome and Mac, create on any device and share with anyone who has access to a browser.

Team Libraries

Create design systems with linked UI components and styles your whole team can use across all of your projects.

Publish components to the team library for others to use.

Anyone can insert shared components into team design files.

Get updates when changes are made to shared components.

Do it all in one single tool

No more jumping between tools. Design, prototype, share, and collect feedback all in Figma.

• All-in-one platform: Toggle between your design file and live prototype. Design edits appear instantly in your prototype.
• Shareable prototype: Share a link to your prototype. View it anywhere with Internet.
• Embedded commenting: Comment in a prototype. They carry over into the design file—so nothing gets lost.

With Insync, you can now sync, edit, backup and share files without opening a million browser tabs.

Add cloud storage to your server via custom scripts using Insync’s command line app with unlimited accounts.

So, why use Insync?

insync-headless > command –option ARGUMENT

Powerful features give you optimal control over your files

Multiple accounts

Sync all your Google Drive, OneDrive, and Dropbox accounts

Selective syncing

Sync only the files you need and save your local space

Plug n’ sync

Sync your network & external drives, SD cards, and thumb drives

Keep your file structure

Sync any file or folder from anywhere in your local storage

Distribution support for Linux

Work with your cloud files locally whether you’re on Ubuntu, Debian, or Fedora.

Insync Headless features

Ncurses selective sync interface

Sync your files and folders with ease using a menu-driven interface.

Scriptability

Run your own scripts and make work flow with Insync 3 Headless.

Different distributions support

Run Insync 3 Headless on different distributions such as Ubuntu, Debian, and Fedora.

Conflict resolution

Resolve file copy conflicts and collaborate on documents with ease.

Auto-login (coming soon)

Start and log in your Insync account automatically without typing in your credentials over and over again.

Ignore rules

Exclude specific files and folders when syncing your Google Drive or OneDrive.

Export option

Automatically convert synced Google Docs to Microsoft Office and OpenDocument.

Multiple accounts

Sync files from multiple Google Drive and OneDrive accounts with their own local folder on the server.

Download and install insync-headless by running the commands below:

Download and install insync-headless by running the commands below:

Installing the insync insync-headless package will add the repository entry automatically. These steps are kept for reference in case of issues. Note: Insync only supports 64-bit.

First, add our public GPG key to allow apt to authenticate the Insync repository:

If the previous command did not work, use this instead:

Create a file /etc/apt/sources.list.d/insync.list with the following content

Replace [DISTRIBUTION] with your Linux distro: ubuntu , debian , mint
Replace [CODENAME] with your Linux distro codename. Here is a list of codenames for ubuntu, debian, and mint For example Ubuntu 12.04 is precise

Here is an example for Ubuntu 17.10: (Source packages are not available, only binaries.)
Update the apt repository:

File manager integration will be added when Insync is run.
Install Insync Headless

The APT repository officially supports Debian, Mint, and Ubuntu only.
For other Debian-based distributions, try using the one for Debian Squeeze.

First, import the public GPG key used to sign the RPMs.

Create a new file insync.repo in /etc/yum.repos.d/ with the following content. Replace [DISTRIBUTION] with fedora , opensuse-leap , or opensuse-tumbleweed . If you’re using opensuse-tumbleweed , replace $releasever with rolling

File manager integration will be added when Insync is run.
Install Insync Headless

Two questions this week: Carla wants to share some files with her dad, who uses Windows, but she has run into problems, while Anon wants to play Apple Lossless files on his Windows machine

How do you share files between a Mac and a PC? Photograph: Juice Images/Alamy Photograph: Juice Images / Alamy/Alamy

How do you share files between a Mac and a PC? Photograph: Juice Images/Alamy Photograph: Juice Images / Alamy/Alamy

Last modified on Tue 21 Feb 2017 18.55 GMT

I have a Mac and an external hard drive that includes some important family files. I bought a 4TB hard drive for my dad, and thought it would be easy to copy the files over so he could use them on his PC. However, my Mac doesn’t recognise his hard drive, and his PC won’t recognise my hard drive. Any suggestions?

The hard drives should not be a problem, unless your computers are very old. Macs and Windows machines do have their own preferred file formats for internal hard drives, but external hard drives don’t always ship with these pre-installed. They tend to use a version of Microsoft’s FAT file format, which dates back to the MS DOS (or IBM PC DOS) operating system used by the IBM PC in 1981. Most operating systems can read files in these old formats.

When DOS was born, popular hard drives only had 5MB or 10MB of storage space, which you could fill today with a single animated GIF. In 1996, Microsoft introduced FAT32 to handle much larger hard drives, and FAT32 is still in common use. However, hard drives keep getting bigger — now they are typically 500GB to 4TB — and in 2006, Microsoft released a new extended version, exFAT. In theory, this can handle drives up to 64 zettabytes, though 512TB is the recommended maximum.

Hard drives will have to double in size another seven times to reach that.

If your dad’s new 4TB EHD (external hard drive) has been formatted in FAT32 or exFAT, then both his PC and your Mac should be able to read it. All updated versions of Windows XP and later versions of Windows support both FAT32 and exFAT. Apple already supported FAT32 and it added support for exFAT in Mac OS X 10.6.5 (Snow Leopard) and later versions of OS X.

Mac to PC file transfer using an ethernet cable

Even if the 4TB drive has been formatted in Windows’ NTFS (New Technology File System) format, then your Mac should still be able to read it, though it won’t be able to write to it. Apple added read-only support for NTFS in 2003 with Mac OS X 10.3 (Panther) and many Mac users need it for running Windows under Boot Camp.

Your dad can check the format of his 4TB EHD by running Windows Explorer and selecting Computer in the left-hand pane. All the PC’s drives will be shown in the right-hand pane. If he right-clicks on the 4TB drive and selects Properties from the drop-down menu, the Properties sheet will have an entry for “File System” that will usually be NTFS or FAT32. Either should be fine. However, if both of you want to read and write to this particular EHD, I suggest reformatting it in exFAT while it’s still empty. You should then be able to copy files to it with your Mac. If your Mac still refuses to recognise it, you can tell it to initialise the drive as an MS-DOS disk (ie FAT32).

Meanwhile, your external hard drive is probably formatted in a version of Apple’s Hierarchical File System (HFS). Windows PCs won’t normally read that without an additional software driver, such as Erik Larsson’s HFSExplorer or the DiskInternals Linux Reader. (It’s a Windows program that reads Linux and Mac disks.) Both are free.

So, you could use your Mac to copy the files to your dad’s 4TB FAT32/exFAT drive, or your dad could install a free HFS+ driver and use his PC to read them from your Mac drive. I don’t know which would be simpler, but if the first one doesn’t work, you can try the second.

Finally, although an external hard drive is a good way to move files from a Mac to a PC, there are other ways to do it. The most obvious solution is to use a USB Flash drive. This can get tedious, depending on how much data you need to move. However, SanDisk sells thumb drives with capacities up to 128GB, so it’s just a case of deciding how big a drive you need. Some of the Amazon reviews complain that the transfer speed of the 128GB version is very slow, but trying to do it via a cloud storage system would be even slower.

A less obvious solution is to use a standard ethernet cable to connect the two machines together, as shown in this YouTube video. This should also work quickly.

Playing ALAC files in Windows

I have some Apple Lossless files on my Mac and also want to play them on my Windows PC. Is there a simple way to do this?

The options include FLAC (Free Lossless Audio Codec) and compressed “lossy” formats such as MP3 or AAC. If you don’t need the full fidelity of lossless playback, then Lame MP3 or AAC will save a lot of space. Apple lossless files take up about 5MB per minute whereas MP3 might be 1MB per minute.

One lossless format can be converted into another lossless format without any loss of sound quality, so that’s not a problem. However, people often convert lossless files into a compressed format for use on a PC, phone or MP3 player. This does cause some loss in sound quality, though you may not be able to hear the difference.

You should be able to play your ALAC files in Windows by using either the VLC media player or foobar2000, but that may not fit well with whatever you use at the moment. However, if you have an iPhone and/or an iPad or iPod, then these support Apple Lossless. Also, you will already be using iTunes for Windows, QuickTime etc. In this scenario, converting your ALAC files to FLAC would be a bad idea, though you should still consider AAC.

However, if you use an Android phone or tablet, then it may be worth converting them, as FLAC is now supported as standard on Android. On your PC, you can download a set of open codecs from Xiph.org. The package also includes support for Ogg Vorbis, Speex, Theora, and WebM. These are directshow filters and should work normally with Windows Media Player and hundreds of other standard Windows programs.

For people who do want to do file conversions, XLD (X Lossless Decoder) is a good option for Mac users. It’s also much better at ripping audio CDs than iTunes, more like EAC (Exact Audio Copy) for Windows.

Windows users who want to convert ALAC files to FLAC and other formats often like dbPowerAmp, but it costs £24 to register after the free trial period. People who can’t or won’t pay can use xrecode, or the foobar2000 media player to do file conversions.

The secure and convenient way to create and store passwords, log in to websites and fill forms. Remember one master password and let Enpass take care of the rest.

Secure your digital life.

Keep your passwords, logins, credit cards, driving licenses and other important files safe and handy in one place.

Create strong passwords

Secure online shopping

Automatically fill in payment details when shopping online and protect yourself from phishing attacks.

Password audit

Do a regular health check to filter out your weak, compromised, old and expired passwords.

Multiple-vaults

Keep everything organized with separate profiles for work, personal and family, and give family access to everything they need.

A place for everything

Choose from a library of 80+ built-in templates to store credit cards, passports, driving licenses, insurance documents and more.

“Offline” storage for total peace of mind

“Offline” means we don’t store your passwords, credentials or files on our servers. All your passwords, logins and files are stored (encrypted) locally on your device(s). And you can still synchronize everything using your own cloud accounts.

Syncthing is a continuous file synchronization program. It synchronizes files between two or more computers in real time, safely protected from prying eyes. Your data is your data alone and you deserve to choose where it is stored, whether it is shared with some third party, and how it’s transmitted over the internet.

Get Started

Grab one of the downloads and start syncing!
Check out the getting started guide for some tips along the way.

Private & Secure

Private. None of your data is ever stored anywhere else other than on your computers. There is no central server that might be compromised, legally or illegally.

Encrypted. All communication is secured using TLS. The encryption used includes perfect forward secrecy to prevent any eavesdropper from ever gaining access to your data.

Authenticated. Every device is identified by a strong cryptographic certificate. Only devices you have explicitly allowed can connect to your other devices.

If you have a security concern, please see the security page for details and contact information.

Open Protocol. The protocol is a documented specification — no hidden magic.

Open Source. All source code is available on GitHub — what you see is what you get, there is no hidden funny business.

Open Development. Any bugs found are immediately visible for anyone to browse — no hidden flaws.

Open Discourse. Development and usage is always open for discussion.

Easy to Use

Powerful. Synchronize as many folders as you need with different people or just between your own devices.

Portable. Configure and monitor Syncthing via a responsive and powerful interface accessible via your browser. Works on Mac OS X, Windows, Linux, FreeBSD, Solaris, OpenBSD, and many others. Run it on your desktop computers and synchronize them with your server for backup.

Simple. Syncthing doesn’t need IP addresses or advanced configuration: it just works, over LAN and over the Internet. Every machine is identified by an ID. Give your ID to your friends, share a folder and watch: UPnP will do if you don’t want to port forward or you don’t know how.

Kastelo provides commercial support for Syncthing and sponsors Syncthing with development resources.

The latest version of the friendly operating system is here. Install it on your computer today!

Features

What is Linux Mint?

Linux Mint is an operating system for desktop and laptop computers. It is designed to work ‘out of the box’ and comes fully equipped with the apps most people need.

Graphic Design

Work in 3D with Blender, draw or edit pictures in Gimp, use Inkscape for vector graphics.

Productivity

With LibreOffice’s complete office suite, use the word processor, make presentations, drawings, spreadsheets or even databases. Easily import from or export to PDF or Microsoft Office documents.

Multimedia

Enjoy your music, watch TV and movies, listen to podcasts, Spotify and online radio.

Browse the Web, watch Youtube and Netflix with Firefox. Turn any website into a desktop app for immediate access.

Gaming

Access more than 7,800 games with Steam. Install GOG to get even more.

Give it a try. You’ll Love it!

Most of our users come from Windows and they never look back.

Easy to use, fast and comfortable.

Give your hardware the operating system it deserves and feel right at home.

Everything just works “Out Of The Box”, without the need to configure anything or to install extra applications. It’s ready to go. Although it’s very configurable, everything is set and tuned nicely by default and no unnecessary questions are asked.

It’s very easy to use. It features an intuitive desktop and adopts KISS principles. Anyone can rapidly feel at home and use Linux Mint. User experience, workflow and comfort is key.

Home rule

It’s your computer, your rules. This is a key principle at Linux Mint. We don’t collect data, we don’t work against you. You’re the boss. Your operating system is designed to do what you want without getting in your way.

Rock solid

With centralized software updates, system snapshots, a unique Update Manager and the robustness of its Linux architecture, Linux Mint requires very little maintenance. It works, it’s safe and it doesn’t break.

Free and Open Source

It is completely free of cost and almost all of its components are Open Source. Linux Mint stands on the shoulder of giants, it is based on Debian and Ubuntu.

Community-centric

There is a tight bond and a great relationship between the development team and the community. We communicate with our users and constantly use their feedback to improve Linux Mint.

Fun, helpful and passionate.

If you’re making your first steps with Linux don’t hesitate to join the forums. Linux users are often welcoming, helpful and eager to share their experience.

Is it free?

Yes, Linux Mint is completely free of charge. Almost everything in Linux Mint is also open-source.

Will it work on my computer?

Yes, Linux Mint works on most computers. It can also be run from a live USB stick to make sure everything works fine without having to install anything.

Can I keep Windows?

Yes, you can have both Windows and Linux Mint. A menu asks you which one to use when you start the computer.

Will it suit my needs?

Hopefully. Linux Mint comes with what most people need out of the box as well as easy access to more than 60,000 software packages and 7,800 games.

The years go by, and I keep trying one Linux desktop distro after the other. But for more than a decade now, I come back to Linux Mint. Why? It’s simple: Year in and year out, Mint remains the best, easiest-to-use Linux desktop.

Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols

ZDNet

Mint has become the very best example of what a Linux desktop should be: fast, easy, pleasing to the eye, useful and productive. Others, still, see Mint as the ideal desktop for Windows refugees, or those who are trying out Linux for the first time, and want an operating system that essentially works ‘out of the box’.

David Hayward

Linux Format

Linux Mint’s latest release will have an exceptionally wide appeal. Anyone looking for an incredibly stable, robust, fast, clean, and user-friendly desktop operating system could do a whole lot worse. [. ] Every Linux desktop distribution should strive to do exactly what Linux Mint 20.1 has accomplished–create a desktop that is the perfect balance of speed, features, and user-friendliness.

Jack Wallen

TechRepublic

There’s a good reason for that popularity: Linux Mint just works. It isn’t “changing the desktop computer paradigm,” or “innovating” in “groundbreaking” ways. The team behind Mint is just building a desktop operating system that looks and functions a lot like every other desktop operating system you’ve used, which is to say you’ll be immediately comfortable and stop thinking about your desktop and start using it to do actual work.

Scott Gilbertson

ars technica

Exploring the bevy of Linux distributions out there is a fun part of the hobby, but for your first installation, you will likely want something popular and beginner-friendly, so it’s easy to get help when you need it. That’s why I recommend starting with Linux Mint.

Whitson Gordon

PCMag

Linux Mint has again shown why it deserves to stay among the best Linux distribution for beginners. If you’re thinking to migrate from Windows to Linux, you should definitely get your hand on Linux Mint.

This documentation explains how to set up file sharing on a Macintosh computer with OS X v.10.5 or 10.6, how to remove file sharing, and how to connect to files on a shared Mac. Any Macintosh computer properly connected to the Wellesley College network should be able to share files with any other Macintosh or Windows computer on campus that is also connected to the Wellesley College network.

New to File Sharing?

Set up File Sharing

Connect to a Shared Mac

Remove File Sharing

Before you begin

• Your computer must be connected to the Wellesley College campus network in order to set up file sharing.
• Make sure your virus protection is up-to-date. For more information, see the postings in the AntiVirus Updates subconference in Computing Questions on FirstClass.
• You will need the username and password for an Administrator account on your Mac. To check if you are an Administrator, go to the Apple Menu >System Preferences >Users & Groups. You must know the password to one of the Administrator accounts on the device.

Setting up file sharing with other Macs

• Go to the Apple Menu > System Preferences > Sharing.
• Under the Services tab, check File Sharing .
• If you would like to share your public folders, you can click Start to turn this on or Stop to turn it off. Note: Although file sharing is turned on, not every file on your hard disk will be shared. Users will be given the choice to view your home directory or your entire hard drive. However, users still cannot see your private files.