Subject: [nfsv4] [LNFS] Namespace access

From: Thomas Haynes <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 10 May 2011 13:34:48 -0500

One of the sections I pulled in was:

8.  Namespace Access
   [[Comment.2: This section was lost going from requirements to
   support. --TH]]
   The server should provide a means to authorize selective access to
   the exported file system namespace based upon client credentials and
   according to security policy.
   This is a common requirement of MLS-enabled systems, which often need
   to present selective views of namespaces based upon the clearances of
   the subjects.

I'm not sure now whether we want to have it or not. I think the difference between NFSv3
and NFSv4 namespace semantics combined with the MAC checks on both READDIR
and LOOKUP should solve this issue.

I.e., MOUNT does not exist in NFSv4 as a separate protocol and as such, the checks
on existing operations should suffice.

The larger question might be whether we want to specify what happens in READDIR
and LOOKUP when MAC access checks fail?

---

From: Nico Williams <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 10 May 2011 16:16:18 -0500

> on existing operations should suffice.

+1

In NFSv4 there's no real difference between "mount" and "open" (the
client can and should want to notice when it crosses server-side
mounts, but it's not strictly necessary).

> and LOOKUP when MAC access checks fail?

READDIR needs to be able to filter results by MAC policy (and share
ACLs) -- this is new, but the rest is not.

Nico
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