On IU's research systems, how can I let a consultant see my code?

For a consultant at Indiana University to help you with your code on one of the research systems, you may need to open your directories and files to enable the consultant to read your source and data files. The top-level directories on IU's research computing systems are enabled with world read and execute permissions, but your personal home directories are private; consultants or any other normal user would not be able to view their contents.

Suppose all your files (file1, file2) are in one directory called my_project within your home directory. For a consultant to be able to do cd my_project, and look at file1 and file2, the consultant should have at least execute permission at each level of these directories. In addition, the consultant should have read permission on my_project, file1, and file2. To grant these permissions, use the chmod command.

If you prefer, you can set permissions at a finer level of granularity. For example, the following statements will allow all users, including consultants, to change into your home directory, and then into the my_project directory (also, it will allow them to read the files file1 and file2, and the entire contents of subdir1 directory):

Note: Home directories on IU's research systems are located on their own file server. If you use Big Red, Quarry, or the Research Database Complex (RDC), you should also enter:

If you prefer to make all your files and directories (i.e., those under your home directory) viewable by others, you need to enter only the following command:

Note: The following command is only for users of IU's RDC system:

Warning: UITS does not recommend allowing world write permission to any file or directory.

This document was developed with support from the National Science Foundation (NSF) under Grant No. 0503697 to the University of Chicago and subcontracted to Indiana University. Additional support was provided by IU through its participation in the TeraGrid, which is supported by the NSF under Grants No. 0833618, SCI451237, SCI535258, and SCI504075. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the NSF.

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