Managing ZFS File Systems in Oracle® Solaris 11.2

Exit Print View

Updated: December 2014
 
 

Changing an Encrypted ZFS File System's Keys

You can change an encrypted file system's wrapping key by using the zfs key –c command. The existing wrapping key must have been loaded first, either at boot time or by explicitly loading the file system key (zfs key –l) or by mounting the file system (zfs mount filesystem). For example:

# zfs key -c tank/home/darren
Enter new passphrase for 'tank/home/darren': xxxxxxxx
Enter again: xxxxxxxx

In the following example, the wrapping key is changed and the keysource property value is changed to specify that the wrapping key comes from a file.

# zfs key -c -o keysource=raw,file:///media/stick/key tank/home/darren

The data encryption key for an encrypted file system can be changed by using the zfs key –K command, but the new encryption key is only used for newly written data. This feature can be used to provide compliance with NIST 800-57 guidelines on a data encryption key's time limit. For example:

# zfs key -K tank/home/darren

In the above example, the data encryption key is not visible nor is it directly managed by you. In addition, you need the keychange delegation to perform a key change operation.

The following encryption algorithms are available:

  • aes-128-ccm, aes-192-ccm, aes-256-ccm

  • aes-128-gcm, aes-192-gcm, aes-256-gcm

The ZFS keysource property identifies the format and location of the key that wraps the file system's data encryption keys. For example:

# zfs get keysource tank/home/darren
NAME              PROPERTY   VALUE              SOURCE
tank/home/darren  keysource  passphrase,prompt  local

The ZFS rekeydate property identifies the date of the last zfs key –K operation. For example:

# zfs get rekeydate tank/home/darren
NAME              PROPERTY   VALUE                  SOURCE
tank/home/darren  rekeydate  Wed Jul 25 16:54 2012  local

If an encrypted file system's creation and rekeydate properties have the same value, the file system has never been rekeyed by an zfs key –K operation.

Managing ZFS Encryption Keys

ZFS encryption keys can be managed in different ways, depending on your needs, either on the local system or remotely, if a centralized location is needed.

  • Locally – The above examples illustrate that the wrapping key can be either a passphrase prompt or a raw key that is stored in a file on the local system.

  • Remotely – Key information can be stored remotely by using a centralized key management system like Oracle Key Manager or by using a web service that supports a simple GET request on an http or https URI. Oracle Key Manager key information is accessible to an Oracle Solaris system by using a PKCS#11 token.

For more information about managing ZFS encryption keys, see http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/articles/servers-storage-admin/manage-zfs-encryption-1715034.html

For information about using Oracle Key Manager to manage key information, see:

http://docs.oracle.com/cd/E24472_02/

Delegating ZFS Key Operation Permissions

Review the following permission descriptions for delegating key operations:

  • Loading or unloading a file system key by using the zfs key –l and zfs key –u commands require the key permission. In most cases, you will need the mount permission as well.

  • Changing a file system key by using the zfs key –c and zfs key –K commands require the keychange permission.

Consider delegating separate permissions for key use (load or unload) and key change, which allows you to have a two-person key operation model. For example, determine which users can use the keys verses which users can change them. Or, both users need to be present for a key change. This model also allows you to build a key escrow system.