System Administration Guide: Oracle Solaris Containers-Resource Management and Oracle Solaris Zones

Summary of Zone Features

The following table summarizes the characteristics of global and non-global zones.

Type of Zone 

Characteristic 

Global 

 

  • Is assigned ID 0 by the system

  • Provides the single instance of the Solaris kernel that is bootable and running on the system

  • Contains a complete installation of the Solaris system software packages

  • Can contain additional software packages or additional software, directories, files, and other data not installed through packages

  • Provides a complete and consistent product database that contains information about all software components installed in the global zone

  • Holds configuration information specific to the global zone only, such as the global zone host name and file system table

  • Is the only zone that is aware of all devices and all file systems

  • Is the only zone with knowledge of non-global zone existence and configuration

  • Is the only zone from which a non-global zone can be configured, installed, managed, or uninstalled

Non-Global 

 

  • Is assigned a zone ID by the system when the zone is booted

  • Shares operation under the Solaris kernel booted from the global zone

  • Contains an installed subset of the complete Solaris Operating System software packages

  • Contains Solaris software packages shared from the global zone

  • Can contain additional installed software packages not shared from the global zone

  • Can contain additional software, directories, files, and other data created on the non-global zone that are not installed through packages or shared from the global zone

  • Has a complete and consistent product database that contains information about all software components installed on the zone, whether present on the non-global zone or shared read-only from the global zone

  • Is not aware of the existence of any other zones

  • Cannot install, manage, or uninstall other zones, including itself

  • Has configuration information specific to that non-global zone only, such as the non-global zone host name and file system table

  • Can have its own time zone setting