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Umask is a C-shell built in command which allows you to determine or specify the default access (protection) mode for new files you create.  It is commonly run in a user’s startup scripts.  It is basically a command which displays or sets the file mode creation mask.  When PHP is being used as a server module, the umask is restored when each request is finished.  Remember that a umask is a number, usually given in octal; it is not a string of octal digits.  Unless you have a particular reason to allow others access to your files, the "077" umask is recommended to provide reasonable protection for your files.  It is essential, however, with non-AFP based file sharing or any other situation where the default umask is too restrictive.