To make managing space permissions easier, an inheritance model provides a way to avoid (when you can) setting specific minute permissions for each new space. Spaces can inherit permissions from their parent or merely use those permissions as a starting point.
As you might expect, the inheritance relationship means that changes to the inherited space's permissions are automatically also changes to permissions in inheriting spaces. A default space typically called "Jive" is provided as a starting place for new spaces regardless of where they are in the hierarchy. While not actually a space in other respects -- it can't contain content -- the default space is useful as a permissions template.
Here are a few important inheritance characteristics to keep in mind when working with the permissions model:
- You can customize the default space permissions to represent a permission set that will be commonly used when creating new spaces. And a new space can use these, if only as a starting point.
- A space can inherit its parent space's permissions, a relationship that must be broken before the sub-space's permissions can be customized. For spaces at the top level, the default space is the parent space.
- At any point after a space is created, you can re-establish an inheritance relationship between it and its parent space. When you do, you remove any customizations you've made to permissions in the sub-space (and, of course, in spaces that inherit from the sub-space).
- A new space can begin with its parent space's permissions as a starting point only. When it does, those permissions aren't inherited, instead providing a basis for customization.
- A new space can begin with the default space's permissions as a starting point, regardless of where the new space is in the hierarchy.
- A new space can begin with no permissions set, a blank slate that you customize.
