Administrator Accounts

An administrator is a user account with greater access rights than an ordinary user. The administrator is responsible for managing the system's users, so their account can do things an ordinary account cannot.

What an administrator does

Administrators add new user accounts and delete accounts that are no longer needed. When a member leaves a school newspaper club, deleting their account means their old login can no longer be used. Administrators also set and edit each user's permissions, deciding what each account is allowed to do. A reporter, for example, might be allowed to open the article folder and use the publishing program, but not change the club's website settings.

They can allocate or limit access to system resources, such as giving the editor account more storage for photographs and limiting a typing account to less. This stops one person using so much space that others cannot save their work.

Who enforces the rules?

Ordinary users do not set their own permissions. The administrator decides the rules, and the operating system enforces them whenever someone tries to open a folder, run a program or change a setting. If the reporter tries to change the website settings, the operating system checks the permission, finds that it is not allowed and refuses. By setting suitable permissions and making sure the operating system enforces them, the administrator ensures that only authorised users can carry out restricted actions. This keeps the system secure: each account gets the access it needs without being able to rewrite the rules themselves.

Having greater access rights does not mean there are no restrictions. An administrator account can do far more than an ordinary one, but it still works through the operating system, which applies the permissions that are in place.