[zones-discuss] Interfaces to automate zone system identification

2007-11-15 Thread Zoram Thanga
Hi All,

I'd like to automate system identification for a zone when it is freshly 
installed. In most cases, I'd like to keep the same settings for domain 
name, name service, security policy, etc., as in the global zone.

I'm wondering if there are (C) library interfaces to determine which 
name service is used in the global zone, so that I can make the 
following entry in the zone's /etc/sysidcfg file:

name_service=service{service specific parameters}

So, I'd like do something like:

name_service = get_name_service()

if (name_service is NIS) {
 /* get domain name */
 /* get yp master */
} else if (name_service is NIS+) {
 /* get NIS+ details */
} else if (name_service is LDAP) {
 /* get LDAP details */
} else if (name_service is DNS) {
 /* get DNS details */
} ...

Also, is there a library interface to get what the security_policy 
setting is in the global zone? So I want to do something like:

security_policy = get_security_policy()

if (security_policy is kerberos) {
 /* get kerberos details */
} else if ...
...

Thanks,
Zoram
-- 
Zoram Thanga::Sun Cluster Development::http://blogs.sun.com/zoram
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Re: [zones-discuss] Interfaces to automate zone system identification

2007-11-15 Thread Zoram Thanga
Hi Mike,

Mike Gerdts wrote:
 On Nov 15, 2007 4:04 AM, Zoram Thanga [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
 Hi All,

 I'd like to automate system identification for a zone when it is freshly
 installed. In most cases, I'd like to keep the same settings for domain
 name, name service, security policy, etc., as in the global zone.
 
 It sounds like simply copying in whole or part the relevant files from
 the global zone and making the appropriate modifications to
 $zonepath/root/etc/.sysid* (forget the exact file name) would be a
 workable approach.  This would have to be done from the global zone.

Yes, the program will only run in the global zone, and only once after 
the new zone is installed.

However, I'm wondering if we can count on the presence of /etc/sysidcfg 
on the global zone. Once a system has been initialized, we could safely 
remove /etc/sysidcfg and there would be no problem, right?

 
 I'm wondering if there are (C) library interfaces to determine which
 name service is used in the global zone, so that I can make the
 following entry in the zone's /etc/sysidcfg file:
 
 To the best of my knowledge, such an API is not even available to
 query in the same zone (e.g. global zone querying global zone).  Such
 an API that allowed cross-zone queries of this information would cross
 isolation boundaries that have been held rather dear with zones.

No, I am not looking to cross zone boundaries here - just obtain all the 
necessary information from the global zone and apply them to the freshly 
installed NGZs. Of course, if the user wants to specify sysid settings 
that are different from those of the global zone, she would be allowed 
to do so. But if she just wants to re-use the same name service setting, 
security policy setting, etc, then that's when I'd like to query the GZ 
for those informations.

 
 name_service=service{service specific parameters}

 So, I'd like do something like:

 name_service = get_name_service()

 if (name_service is NIS) {
  /* get domain name */
  /* get yp master */
 } else if (name_service is NIS+) {
  /* get NIS+ details */
 } else if (name_service is LDAP) {
  /* get LDAP details */
 } else if (name_service is DNS) {
  /* get DNS details */
 } ...
 
 This approach, much like the one used by sysidconfig, is broken.  What
 happens when you use LDAP for everything except hosts and DNS for
 hosts?  If you are coming up with a new solution for setting up naming
 services, please don't repeat this mistake.


Yes. I am aware of the complications, and no we're not trying to come up 
with new naming service solutions :) I just want to know how to query 
the settings when the user says use the same settings as in the GZ.

 You may want to take a look at zonemgr. It will do quite a bit of
 customization of a zone without interaction and may be just what you
 are looking for.
 

I'll take a look. Can zonemgr query the settings if the user didn't 
specify them?

Thanks,
Zoram

-- 
Zoram Thanga::Sun Cluster Development::http://blogs.sun.com/zoram
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