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20. How do I set up protected directories?

 

Most Web servers have configuration controls and commands that limit access to pages and data that reside on the server, and in doing so, offers protection to the directories.

We use password protection to allow you to limit access to your directories. When you protect a directory, the Apache server creates an HTAccess file containing permission information. The HTAccess file includes information about the authorization name for the directory, and the names of the groups who are allowed to access files contained within this directory. Apache creates another file that includes all the individual user names and passwords that belong to the group. When a user attempts to access a protected directory, the Apache server first verifies that this user is included in a group listed in the HTAccess file, then prompts for a user name and password before verifying and granting the user access to the directory.

Because directory access is managed by groups, all individual users must belong to a group, and the group name must be associated with the protected directory, in order to access the protected directory.

You can set up directory protection from the Apache Web Server Manager. Make sure you have all the required information before you start.

Important: If you are supporting Microsoft® FrontPage® Extensions on your domain, use the directory protection feature provided by FrontPage instead of the directory protection feature. See the topic "How do I work with FrontPage Extensions?".

Setting up directory protection is a three-step process.

• Step 1: Create groups - Apache manages all user authorizations through groups.


• Step 2: Add members to the groups - Any user who wants to access a protected directory must belong to a group.


• Step 3: Apply protection to the directory you want to protect.

Before You Start

Before you can set protection for a directory, make sure you fulfill the following considerations.

• Divide all the users you want to have access to a protected directory into logical groups, such as by department. Every individual user must belong to a group to have access to a protected directory. You can create a group with only one member in it.


• Determine a user name and password for each user in the groups.
  
  Note: You must create these groups and specify the users who belong to those groups before applying protection to directories because when you add the protection to a directory, you must select the groups who can have access to the protected directory. If you do not already have existing groups, you cannot continue with the protection process.
  
  


• Determine an authorization name that you want to assign to the directory you want to protect, and determine the groups that have permission to use this authorization name.
  
  

- Updated: April 3, 2002

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