Administering an Immutable Zone by Using the Trusted Path Domain

Oracle Solaris provides four ways to enter an immutable zone to administer it. Two methods make the entire zone temporarily writable, as described in Methods for Administering Non-Global Immutable Zones. A safer mode uses the trusted path, in which only processes marked as part of the trusted path can be modified while the files and other zone processes remain immutable. Processes that run in the trusted path are described as being part of the Trusted Path Domain (TPD).

In immutable zones, certain core system processes are marked as part of the TPD. For example, a number of system daemons run in the TPD, including init, svc.configd, and svc.startd. When you are given administrative access to TPD processes, you can safely modify the configuration of an immutable zone because all non-TPD processes remain unwritable.

You can administer an immutable zone by using the trusted path locally through the console or remotely through a trusted rad connection.

• To enable local administration, you must ensure that the console is accessible through the ILOM, a serial connection, or through the graphical console. You enter the TPD by logging in on a console that is protected by the trusted path where you are also trusted.

  For the procedure, see How to Enable Administrative Access to an Immutable Zone From the Console.

• To enable remote administration through the Remote Administration Daemon (RAD), you must protect the RAD process with the trusted path and you must also be trusted.

  For the procedure, see How to Enable Remote Administrative Access to an Immutable Zone by Using RAD.