servedat Server
The servedat file server allows ExpeDat and SyncDat clients to upload, download, and manipulate files. In its simplest usage, you can copy servedat into a directory and run or double-click it to make that directory immediately available. See the Quick Start chapter for zero-configuration use instructions.
For unix systems, running the install-servedat script will install and run the Server as a system daemon, allowing system users to login and access the filesystem just as they would with FTP.
On Windows, the default install-servedat batch file will install the Server as a Windows Service, allowing system users to login and access the filesystem using their Logon credentials.
For security purposes, servedat will choose the most restrictive configuration that still affords some access. The best practice is to explicitly set your preferred authentication types and not rely on defaults.
The following three sections explain servedat's access control features in detail.
| Users | The server decides who is allowed access based on the username and password a client may provide. This section explains the three types of users: Anonymous, System, and AuthFile. |
| Homes | Each user has access to files in a certain folder, and may have access to the full filesystem. This section discusses how a given user's home directory is determined. |
| Privileges | Unix systems, including Mac OS X, can assign user and group ids o each user, allowing you to take advantage of the operating system's built-in access controls. This section lists the different ways you can control these privileges. |
If the primary purpose of your server is to allow unix System Users to have the same type of access they would with FTP, then you can simply install servedat as root using the install-servedat installation script. When run as root without any other options, the server automatically turns on SysAuth and disables Anonymous access.