TerraMaster Forum

Since I got my F2-424 a few months ago, I've been using TOS 6 exclusively, betas first and now v 6.0.507 - and this whole time, I've had an issue with User Permissions not overriding permissions given to a Shared Folder - so some users can't access the files & folders they need. As you'll see below, TOS 6.0.507 has bugs displaying assigned permissions but beyond that, regarding my goal, perhaps my expectations are unrealistic, perhaps it's the way TOS 6 privileges were designed to operate, or perhaps TOS 6 permissions are simply not currently working as its designers intended?

I'll simplify my setup and explain what I'm trying to achieve:

Shared Folder: (/Volume2/) "MY-TNAS"
Subfolders of "MY-TNAS" include: "/Videos", "/Music", "/Pictures", "/Documents/", and others
Users: User1, User2, User3, media, guest
Goal: I want to share ALL the folders of "MY-TNAS" with User1, User2, User3 but allow user media to ONLY have access to the MY-TNAS's /Videos, /Music, /Pictures subfolders, and at this time I do not wish to allow user guest to access anything (I may change that later).

What I did:

• In Control Panel->Shared Folders->selected MY-TNAS as a shared folder, EDIT, and on the General tab checked the box for 'Replace the permissions of all subdirectories with the permissions of the folder' (note: this option would be better located on the Permissions tab as it directly relates to it). On the Permissions tab, with 'User' selected in the dropdown, I've given Read/Write permission to User1, User2, User3 and set both user media and user guest to 'DENY'. With 'User group' selected in the dropdown, I've given both 'admin' and 'allusers' Read/Write permission.
• In File Manager, I browsed to /Volume2/MY-TNAS/ then right-clicked it and selected 'Properties'. On the Permissions tab and with 'Users' selected in the dropdown, and with the 'Replace the permissions of all subdirectories..' checkbox checked, I made sure User1, User2, User3 each have Read/Write permission, and then set user media and user guest to 'Deny'. (*Bug*: on entry, the Permissions column said 'Deny' for users media & guest but the corresponding checkbox for each was not set; I manually set them just to be certain)[/b] With 'User Group' selected in the dropdown, I ensure both 'admin' and 'allusers' have Read/Write permission. Expected outcome at this point: Users 1-3 have Read/Write access to the MY-TNAS folder tree while users media & guest are denied access. Actual outcome at this point: as expected.
• In File Manager, I browsed to /Volume2/MY-TNAS/Videos then right-clicked it and selected 'Properties'. On the Permissions tab and with the 'Replace the permissions of all subdirectories..' checkbox checked, I made sure User1, User2, User3 AND user media each have Read/Write permission, and then set user guest to 'Deny'. Expected outcome at this point: Users 1-3 AND user media have Read/Write access to the /Videos subfolder tree while user guest is denied access. Actual outcome at this point: Users 1-3 have access to the /Videos subfolder tree while users media & guest are denied access.
• Test: Same as previous except attempt to set 'Read Only' for user media in order to see if that will take and to see how permissions are set further down the subfolder tree. *Bug*: on entry, the Permissions column says 'Deny' for user guest but the corresponding checkbox for guest is not set. Bug: on entry, the Permissions column says 'Deny' for user media but has a checkbox in the Read/Write column. Expected outcome: Users 1-3 have Read/Write access to the /Videos subfolder tree while user media has Read Only and user guest is denied access. Actual outcome: Users 1-3 have Read/Write access to the subfolder tree while users media & guest are denied access; [BUGs: Permissions column for user media says 'Deny' yet has no checkbox checked and for user media, says 'Deny' yet has 'Read Only' column checkbox checked
• Test: Inspect permissions of a subfolder of MYTNAS/Videos/, ie 'Movie1'. On entry, with 'Users' selected in the dropdown, the Permissions tab shows only 1 checked checkbox, for the Superuser (admin) - all others users' checkboxes are UNchecked despite the Permissions column showing set inherited permissions. The Permissions column says 'Deny' for users media & guest. Furthermore, with 'User Group' selected in the dropdown, despite both 'admin' and 'allusers' showing 'Read/Write' in the Permission column, all checkboxes on this screen are UNchecked.

Good luck with that.
For one, I suspect that the (or one??) developer(s) have a very specific view of how to operate permissions and are not flexible for fear of compromising the product. ("If we do it this way it will be protected from hacking") {Hence the removal of 'root' permissions - or, rather, giving root a new name, so it just makes life difficult for those who know the base operating system. I also suspect (just conjecture) that there is a background process that checks a database of permissions and resets stuff the system (ie the developer - GIGO) 'thinks' is wrong.

@DanielB - have you tried changing some permission and doing a reboot to see if it sticks?

{I still cannot get something simple like Multimedia Server to survive a reboot, so I have little hope}

We will validate the situation you mentioned.

Gremlin wrote: ↑09 Oct 2024, 16:53have you tried changing some permission and doing a reboot to see if it sticks?

Yes, have tried but it still does not work - the Shared Folder-level 'Deny' permission always takes precedent over the per-user folder permission setting.

@TMzethar - thanks.

I'm attaching an image that visually represents a simplification of what I'd like to achieve:

DanielB wrote: ↑09 Oct 2024, 10:02

Even if the "Deny" option is not checked, the permissions for the subfolder will still display as "Deny." This is because the subfolder inherits permissions from its parent directory, so the "Deny" checkbox does not appear checked. If you continue to set permissions for the subfolder, the corresponding checkbox will then be checked. Additionally, when there is a conflict between user permissions and user group permissions, the priority order is: Deny > Read/Write > Read Only. The inheritance of permissions also follows this priority order.

DanielB wrote: ↑10 Oct 2024, 01:22

Gremlin wrote: ↑09 Oct 2024, 16:53have you tried changing some permission and doing a reboot to see if it sticks?

Yes, have tried but it still does not work - the Shared Folder-level 'Deny' permission always takes precedent over the per-user folder permission setting.

@TMzethar - thanks.

I'm attaching an image that visually represents a simplification of what I'd like to achieve:

You would basically need permission to all of these:

I think I have the same issue. Plex used to work but now it can't find specific folders/files. I am using TOS 6.0.519-00144 on a F4-424. Plex is the version available in the apps (not latest on-line version).

I have a "Public" directory on Volume 2, and in it are two folders, "Movies" and "Master". I can access these folders from any other device outside the NAS, or using the file manager within TOS. But for PLEX, only the "Public" folder is visible, the subs are not. I have tried just about everything to change permissions many times but simply can't see these two folders using PLEX. Emby has the same issue. I have tried changing users, user groups, and the Plex app. It appears the permissions keep reverting to "Deny" no matter what I do.

This issue is relatively new as it worked a few months ago. I am not sure if a firmware update created this issue or something I did previously in permissions. My original Public Folder was on Volume 1 (if that matters).

danno10000 wrote: ↑31 Oct 2024, 06:53

The problem you mentioned has very little relevance to what the poster said.
Please go to Control Panel>Shared Folders>Permissions>Apply Permissions. Application permission is empty by default, you need to configure it.
If the permissions don't take effect, you can try to check other permissions and cut back to the ones you need to make them take effect.

Thank you! I had only changed permissions for User and User Group, not Application User. Works fine now.

I'm having trouble resetting permissions for an external USB drive. Plex stubbornly refuses to recognize 2 subfolders in the root folder of the USB drive (only view parents folder).
Access rights are only set in the Control Panel section = Storage Manager = USB Device = permissions. However, there's clearly no override for all child subfolders (for the Plex app). Denying and then re-enabling access rights for the Plex user doesn't work.
How do I restore permissions to subfolders for the Plex app on my external USB drive ?