Using IP Labels in Trusted Routing

If a computer has an IP Label type of RIPSO or CIPSO specified in its template, the specified type of IP label is put into outgoing packets, and the incoming packets from the specified host must contain an IP label of the specified type. IP labels can be used for trusted routing. Packets with an IP label are only forwarded to routers whose label range allows the specified IP label.

Some organizations have the requirement to label all of their packets with RIPSO or CIPSO labels, unless the packets are being sent to unlabeled computers directly connected to the network. Others need to use IP labels for trusted routing of packets going to certain destination hosts. In a homogeneous Trusted Solaris security domain, this is accomplished by assigning a template with the Trusted Solaris host type and an IP label of either RIPSO or CIPSO to all or some Trusted Solaris computers.

Similarly a template with the TSIX host type can also be configured with CIPSO or RIPSO labels to achieve the same labeling of packets for TSIX hosts.

And, of course, packets to and from a host assigned a template with a CIPSO or RIPSO host type carry either a CIPSO or RIPSO IP label. The IP Options supported in the templates for the Unlabeled host type provide a way to label packets coming into a Trusted Solaris security domain from unlabeled computers. Unlabeled packets become labeled when they pass through Trusted Solaris/ripso or Trusted Solaris/cipso gateways on their way to other Trusted Solaris/ripso or Trusted Solaris/cipso computers. The RIPSO or CIPSO labels are stripped from packets before they are delivered to unlabeled computers, which are typically outside the security domain. To accomplish this, administrators can specify an IP label of RIPSO or CIPSO in the template for an unlabeled host.