Chapter 20 Multilevel Mail in Trusted Extensions (Overview)

This chapter covers security and multilevel mailers on systems that are configured with Solaris Trusted Extensions.

• Multilevel Mail Service

• Trusted Extensions Mail Features

Multilevel Mail Service

Trusted Extensions provides multilevel mail for any mail application. When regular users start their mailer, the application opens at the user's current label. If users are operating in a multilevel system, they might want to link or copy their mailer initialization files. For details, see How to Configure Startup Files for Users in Trusted Extensions.

Trusted Extensions Mail Features

In Trusted Extensions, the System Administrator role sets up and administers mail servers according to instructions in the Solaris System Administration Guide: Advanced Administration and System Administration Guide: IP Services. In addition, the security administrator determines how Trusted Extensions mail features need to be configured.

The following aspects of managing mail are specific to Trusted Extensions:

• The .mailrc file is at a user's minimum label.

  Therefore, users who work at multiple labels do not have a .mailrc file at the higher labels, unless they copy or link the .mailrc file in their minimum-label directory to each higher directory.

  The Security Administrator role or the individual user can add the .mailrc file to either .copy_files or .link_files. For a description of these files, see the updatehome(1M) man page. For configuration suggestions, see .copy_files and .link_files Files.

• Your mail reader can run at every label on a system. Some configuration is required to connect a mail client to the server.

  For example, to use Mozilla mail for multilevel mail requires that you configure a Mozilla mail client at each label to specify the mail server. The mail server could be the same or different for each label, but the server must be specified.

• The Mailing Lists tool in the Solaris Management Console manages mail aliases.

  Depending on the scope of the selected Solaris Management Console toolbox, you can update the local /etc/aliases file or the LDAP entry on the Sun Java System Directory Server.

• Trusted Extensions software checks host and user labels before sending or forwarding mail.

  • The software checks that the mail is within the accreditation range of the host. The checks are described in this list and in Chapter 19, Managing Networks in Trusted Extensions (Tasks).

  • The software checks that the mail is between the account's clearance and minimum label.

  • Users can read email that is received within their accreditation range. During a session, users can read mail only at their current label.

    To contact regular user by email, an administrative role must send mail from a workspace that is at a label that the user can read. The user's default label is usually a good choice.