Zones and Shared Datasets

The beadm utility automatically handles all zones naming tasks related to the beadm processes. The beadm utility can operate on boot environments in a global zone that also contains non-global zones.

A zone root dataset name is stated in the following format:

zone-path dataset/rpool/ROOT/BE-name

For example:

rpool/zones/zone1/rpool/ROOT/BE1

In this example, rpool/zones/zone1 is the path for a zone root dataset. Nested under that dataset is rpool/ROOT/BE1, which is the root dataset for the BE1 boot environment.

When a zone is copied from one boot environment to another boot environment, only the datasets that are under the zone's root dataset are copied.

Shared datasets are user-defined directories, such as /export, that contain the same mount point in both active and inactive boot environments. Shared datasets are located outside the root dataset area of each boot environment. A dataset can be shared between zone boot environments.

A shared dataset is identified by using the following format:

zone-path dataset/rpool/export

For example:

rpool/zones/zone1/rpool/export

A shared dataset must be explicitly added during zones configuration. A shared dataset is not cloned when the zone dataset is cloned. See the examples in Chapter 3, Creating Boot Environments and Snapshots.