How to configure ZFS (zoning) in Solaris 10

Zones in Solaris server in some way serves the same purpose as virtualization where you are allowed to create several zones which will act as an individual machine.

These are the features of zones in Solaris:

• Virtualization
• Solaris Zones can host only instances of Solaris. Not other OSs.
• Limit of 8192 zones per Solaris host
• Primary zone(global) has access to ALL zones
• Non-global zones, do NOT have access to other non-global zones
• Default non-global zones derive packages from global zone
• Program isolation - zone1(Apache), zone2(MySQL)
• Provides 'z' commands to manage zones: zlogin, zonename, zoneadm,zonecfg

Features of Global zone:

• Solaris ALWAYS boots(cold/warm) to the global zone
• Knows about ALL hardware devices attached to the system
• Knows about ALL non-global zones

Features of Non-Global zones:

• Installed at a location on the filesystem of the GLOBAL zone 'zone root path' /export/home/zones/{zone1,zone2,zone3,...}
•  Share packages with GLOBAL zone
•  Manage distinct hostname and tables files
•  Cannot communicate with other non-global zones by default. NIC must be used, which means, use standard network API(TCP)
•  Global zone admin can delegate non-global zone administration

Steps for configuring non-global zone:

# mkdir /export/home/zones
# chmod 700 /export/home/zones/testzone1

Creating a zone:

# zonecfg -z testzone1
zonecfg:testzone1> create
zonecfg:testzone1> set zonepath=/export/home/zones/testzone1
zonecfg:testzone1> add net
zonecfg:testzone1:net> set address=10.10.10.113
zonecfg:testzone1:net> set physical=e1000g0
zonecfg:testzone1:net> set defrouter=10.10.10.235
zonecfg:testzone1:net> info
net:
address: 10.10.10.113
physical: e1000g0
defrouter: 10.10.10.235
zonecfg:testzone1:net> exit
Resource incomplete; really quit (y/[n])? n
zonecfg:testzone1:net> end
zonecfg:testzone1> verify
zonecfg:testzone1> commit
zonecfg:testzone1> exit

Zlogin is used to login to zones

NOTE: each non-global zone maintains a console. Use 'zlogin -C zonename' after installing zone to complete zone configuration

NOTE: Zlogin permits login to non-global zone via the following:
 1. Interactive - i.e. zlogin -l username zonename
 2. Non-interactive - zlogin options command
 3. Console mode - zlogin -C zonename
 4. Safe mode - zlogin -S

# zlogin -C testzone1

# zoneadm -z testzone1 reboot

# zlogin testzone1 shutdown