File Shares: Accessing Objects in the IFS
File shares are what make the IFS, or part of the IFS, available for viewing or manipulation via the network. You use file shares when you want all users on the network to have access to something. Many organizations define file shares to allow users to map a drive and easily drag and drop documents to or retrieve them from a directory on IBM i.
Editor's Note: This article is excerpted from chapter 7 of IBM i Security Administration and Compliance: Third Edition, by Carol Woodbury.
It’s important to note that although an individual file or the entire root directory may be shared on the network, users still need the appropriate authority to a directory or file to perform the intended request. Just because a file is shared doesn’t mean everyone can read it. That ability is still determined by the object authority settings on the directory or library being shared. (Yes, you can share a library!)