Windows Vista supports to share a single file to one or more users. This is truely a great news for all Windows users since we don't have to share a whole folder only for a file. But more excited, Access-Based Enumeration is used for sharing single file.
What is Access-Based Enumeration?
Usually when we share something on our computer, we prevent illegal access by providing different users different permissions. When those users connect to the share folder, all of them are still able to see all of the contents listed, no matter they have permissions to read or write or not. If they don't have right permissions for some contents, they are not able to do the expected operation but they are able to see the contents listed.
Access-Based Enumeration controls the listing of the share folder based on access permissions. Users accessing sharing resources will not see those contents which they don't have correct permissions to access. Access-Based Enumeration is first included in Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1 and provided a tool called abetool.exe.
Where can I find Access-Based Enumeration in Windows Vista?
No. You may not be able to find something like an interface or tool. However, when you use Windows Vista to share a single file, you can experience the concept and advantage of Access-Based Enumeration.
Windows Vista allows a user to share a single file with one or more specified users. If one user named A is sharing a file named FILE to B and sharing another file named FILE1 to C, and C doesn't have permission to see FILE and B doesn't have permission to see FILE1. In this case, when B connects to A's sharing resources, she is only able to see FILE listed but not FILE1; when C connects to A's sharing resources, he is only able to see FILE1 listed but not FILE. If A also shared both files with user D, then D can see two files listed in A's sharing resources.
This feature increases the working efficiency for the information workers and increases the overall security in a sharing environment.