About Labeling in Oracle Solaris

Oracle Solaris enables you to configure systems that enforce company security policy in software by using labels. You can use provided labels or customize the labels to display your organization's security phrases, such as Confidential - Internal Only. An Oracle Solaris label policy enables you to assign these labels to existing or new file systems that contain sensitive data, and assign a set of trusted users the ability to access the files based on the users' clearances. This selective access is useful for file systems that contain data such as credit card numbers, financial records, and marketing plans. Regular users will work within your default label policy, such as Confidential - Internal Only. They cannot access files at a higher security level, such as Confidential - Restricted.

You can use labeling with other features of Oracle Solaris, including package update, immutable zones, automated install, and SMF to provide robust and easily maintained systems that protect data at every stage of the lifecycle, from file creation to file archival and retrieval. This section provides an overview of labeling terminology and use in Oracle Solaris.