Adorned Names

When a process refers to an MLD in a pathname, the system transparently extends the reference to include the SLD that corresponds to the process sensitivity label. This operation is called pathname translation. If a process running at Confidential references /export/home/zelda, it accesses the SLD in /export/home/zelda at Confidential. Because pathname translation is transparent, the process does not explicitly reference the SLD.

All MLDs have an adornment. The adornment is .MLD. unless it was changed by the system administrator. The adornment lets a process refer directly to the MLD rather than transparently to the SLD that has the same sensitivity label as the process. A process would use the ls(1) command to reference the adorned name to do the following.

• List the SLDs within an MLD. Without the adornment, the contents of the SLD with the same he sensitivity label as the process are listed instead.

% ls /.MLD.tmp

• Refer explicitly to an SLD by using the adorned MLD name.

% ls /.MLD.tmp/.SLD.3