Keeping track of the permissions a user has to a particular network resource can be really tricky. This is compounded when you think about all of their various group memberships. A good way of seeing these permissions laid out cleanly is through the effective permissions dialog.
To the view the effective permissions of a user on a network resource, first access the advanced security settings of that resource by right clicking on it, clicking properties, going to the security tab, and clicking advanced. From here, click the effective permissions tab. Here you can use the select button to pick a user or group and see the effective permissions for it.
This is also a great place to start when you are trying to troubleshoot permissions based problems.
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Chris Sanders is the network administrator for one of the largest public school systems in the state of Kentucky. Chris is the author of the book Practical Packet Analysis as well as several technical articles. His personal website at www.chrissanders.org contains a great deal of information, articles, and guides related to network administration, network security, packet analysis, and general information technology.
