Why are files deleted inconsistently across protocols when their permissions are set to 700?
Last modified date:
2025-02-10
Applicable Products
- macOS
- Windows Server
Scenario
When you try to delete files with permissions set to 700 (rwx------), the results are inconsistent depending on the protocol you use.
Explanation
When accessing files on a NAS via a remote file system, the protocol retrieves permissions to determine deletion rights. Because different protocols handle the permissions differently, this leads to inconsistent deletion behavior. For example, when file permissions are set to 700 (rwx------), macOS evaluates the permissions of the file itself to determine deletion rights, while Windows evaluates the permissions of the directory containing the file. The following table summarizes the file deletion behavior across different protocols:
| Connection Method | File Deletion |
| macOS (via AFP) | Cannot delete |
| macOS (via Samba) | Cannot delete |
| Windows (via Samba) | Can delete |
| File Station | Can delete |
| FTP | Cannot delete |
