Package Propagation

Packages installed in a global zone are (by default) available to all non-global zones: a process called package propagation. (For propagation to take place, newly-created non-global zones must be fully booted, that is, be in a running state.) Propagation provides local (non-global) visibility and availability to packages that are installed in the global zone. Propagation allows for application package life-cycle management (installation, upgrade, un-installation) to be performed centrally by a global administrator, while application configuration and runtime management are performed by (non-global) zones administrators.

For whole root zones, propagation is achieved through the automatic copying of installed files from the global zone to the whole root zones and through automatic synchronization of registry information. For sparse root zones, propagation is achieved through read-only file systems that are shared between the global and sparse root zones and through automatic synchronization of registry information.

Propagation of packages to non-global zones is controlled at the package level using internal package attributes. For some values of these attributes (the default values, at least), propagation can be disabled at install time by using the pkgadd —G option, which overrides the attribute values. Once installed, the propagation behavior of a package cannot be modified, except by uninstalling and reinstalling the package. Patches, for example, cannot change the propagation behavior of a package; in fact, patches must be applied in accordance with the propagation behavior of the package they are upgrading.