HP UX Encrypted Volume and Filesystem (EVFS) manual User Key Privileges

User Key Privileges

EVFS defines the following types of user keys and restricts the execution of EVFS commands based on these keys and HP-UX user privileges:

•EVFS volume owner keys

•Recovery keys

•Authorized user keys

User Privileges and Permissions

Some EVFS commands do not require user keys. Only users with the appropriate privileges can execute these commands. By default, the appropriate privilege required for these EVFS commands is superuser privilege. See the privileges(5) manpage for more information about HP-UX privileges.

To perform operations on EVFS volumes and other volumes, users must also have the appropriate file access permissions for the associated device files. In most installations, users who want to perform operations on EVFS volumes must have superuser privileges.

NOTE: EVFS user keys restrict execution of EVFS commands only. Read, write and execute access to data on EVFS volumes is still restricted by normal HP-UX file permissions and access controls.

EVFS Volume Owner Keys

When you create an EVFS volume, you specify the volume owner key or owner key for the volume. The user who owns the volume owner key (the volume owner) can use the key to perform administrative operations on an EVFS volume, including enabling and disabling EVFS for the volume. The owner can also add additional key records to the EMD.

Recovery Keys

A recovery key enables you to change a volume owner key if the owner's keys are not available. Only the recovery key and the owner key can be used to change the owner key of an EVFS volume. The only operation you can perform with a recovery key is to change the owner key for an EVFS volume.

At installation, EVFS creates an EVFS pseudo-user account, evfs, if it does not already exist. Recovery keys are owned by this pseudo-user.

HP recommends that you configure a recovery key for each volume, but configuring recovery keys is not mandatory for normal EVFS operation. You can configure up to two recovery key pairs per EVFS volume.

Authorized User Keys

A volume owner can configure additional user keys to use to perform administrative operations on the EVFS volume. These user keys are authorized user keys for the volume.

A user with an authorized user key and the appropriate file system permissions for the volume device files can perform the same EVFS operations that the holder of an owner key can perform, except changing the EVFS volume owner, adding and deleting additional keys to a volume, and destroying the EVFS volume by removing the EMD.

Summary of Key Type and Privileged User Capabilities

Table 1-1summarizes the capabilities for the different key types and for users with superuser privileges or the appropriate privileges.

24 EVFS Introduction