Configurable Hostids for Non-Global Zones [PSARC/2008/647 FastTrack timeout 10/30/2008]

[James Carlson]

Darren J Moffat writes:
> Then I find the inconsistency distrubing and it is making me want to 
> pull the derail lever.
> 
> Why is it acceptable to have a zone's hostid in the clear in the global 
> zone /etc/zone/<zonename>.xml for SPARC and x86 file yet it isn't 
> acceptable to have the hostid in the clear in /etc/hostid for x86 - even 
> when the source code for the silly obfuscation is open source.

I think a key distinction would be that non-global zones cannot read
or write anything in the global zone's /etc/zone/ directory, but they
can read and write their own /etc/hostid file just fine.

Putting the data outside of the zone itself adds a measure of
intentional security, which (given all the trivial ways one can
circumvent hostid even without this project) is all that the hostid
users have asked for.

-- 
James Carlson, Solaris Networking              <james.d.carlson at sun.com>
Sun Microsystems / 35 Network Drive        71.232W   Vox +1 781 442 2084
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