ipsecconf Command

You use the ipsecconf command to configure the IPsec policy for a host. When you run the command to configure the policy, the system creates the IPsec policy entries in the kernel. The system uses these entries to check the policy on all inbound and outbound IP datagrams. Forwarded datagrams are not subjected to policy checks that are added by using this command. The ipsecconf command also configures the security policy database (SPD).

• For information about how to protect forwarded packets, see the ifconfig(1M) and ipadm(1M) man pages.

• For IPsec policy options, see the ipsecconf(1M) man page.

• For instructions about how to use the ipsecconf command to protect traffic between systems, see Configuring IKE (Task Map).

You must become superuser or assume an equivalent role to invoke the ipsecconf command. The command accepts entries that protect traffic in both directions. The command also accepts entries that protect traffic in only one direction.

Policy entries with a format of local address and remote address can protect traffic in both directions with a single policy entry. For example, entries that contain the patterns laddr host1 and raddr host2 protect traffic in both directions, if no direction is specified for the named host. Thus, you need only one policy entry for each host.

Policy entries with a format of source address to destination address protect traffic in only one direction. For example, a policy entry of the pattern saddr host1 daddr host2 protects inbound traffic or outbound traffic, not both directions. Thus, to protect traffic in both directions, you need to pass the ipsecconf command another entry, as in saddr host2 daddr host1.

To ensure that the IPsec policy is active when the machine boots, you can create an IPsec policy file, /etc/inet/ipsecinit.conf. This file is read when the network services are started. For instructions on how to create an IPsec policy file, see Protecting Traffic With IPsec (Task Map).

With the -c option, the ipsecconf command checks the syntax of the IPsec policy file that you provide as an argument.

Policy entries that are added by the ipsecconf command are not persistent over a system reboot. To ensure that the IPsec policy is active when the system boots, add the policy entries to the /etc/inet/ipsecinit.conf file, then refresh or enable the policy service. For examples, see Protecting Traffic With IPsec (Task Map).