IP Instances: LAN and VLAN Separation for Non-Global Zones

This system resources enhancement is new in the Developer 5/07 release.

IP networking can now be configured in two different ways, depending on whether the zone is assigned an exclusive IP instance or shares the IP layer configuration and state with the global zone. IP types are configured by using the zonecfg command.

The shared-IP type is the default. These zones connect to the same VLANs or same LANs as the global zone and share the IP layer. lx branded zones are configured as Shared-IP zones. For more information, see x86: lx Branded Zones: Solaris Containers for Linux Applications.

Full IP-level functionality is available in an exclusive-IP zone. If a zone must be isolated at the IP layer on the network, then the zone can have an exclusive IP. The exclusive-IP zone can be used to consolidate applications that must communicate on different subnets that are on different VLANs or different LANs.

For more information, see the following:

• zonecfg(1M) man page

• zones(5) man page

• System Administration Guide: Virtualization Using the Solaris Operating System

  For configuration information, see Chapter 17, Non-Global Zone Configuration (Overview), in System Administration Guide: Virtualization Using the Solaris Operating System and Chapter 18, Planning and Configuring Non-Global Zones (Tasks), in System Administration Guide: Virtualization Using the Solaris Operating System.

  For information on feature components, see Chapter 26, Solaris Zones Administration (Overview), in System Administration Guide: Virtualization Using the Solaris Operating System and Chapter 27, Administering Solaris Zones (Tasks), in System Administration Guide: Virtualization Using the Solaris Operating System.