Manifest Loading at Boot

The svc:/system/manifest-import:default service uses svccfg(8) to import certain manifest files from the /var/svc/manifest directory tree into the service configuration repository. The service imports files that it has not imported previously and those files which have changed since the last time they were imported by the service. When a manifest is imported by the service, a hash of the file that includes its contents is recorded in a property group of the svc:/smf/manifest service. The manifest-import service uses the hash to determine whether the file has changed. See svccfg(8) for information on the svccfg import behavior for services that already exist in the repository.

Manifest Handling During Packaging Operations

Service manifests within packages should be identified with the class manifest. Class action scripts that install and remove service manifests are included in the packaging subsystem. When pkgadd(8) is invoked, the service manifest is imported.

When pkgrm(8) is invoked, instances in the manifest that are disabled are deleted. Instances in the manifest that are online or degraded are disabled first and then deleted. Any services in the manifest with no remaining instances are also deleted.

If the -R option is supplied to pkgadd(8) or pkgrm(8), the actions described in this section will be done when the system is next rebooted with that alternate root path.

Stability Declarations

Each service group and each property group delivered in a manifest should declare a stability level based on attributes(7) definitions. With knowledge of the stability level, an application developer can determine the likelihood that feature development based on the existence or components of a service or object is likely to remain functional across a release boundary.

In an smf(7) context, the stability value also identifies the expected scope of the changes to properties within the property group across a release boundary for the service, which can include patches for that service. The following two sections discuss this in more detail.

Property Overrides

The service_bundle(5) document type definition includes an override attribute that is applicable to each property in a service manifest. If set to true, the attribute instructs svccfg(8) and other manifest import tools to replace the current value of a property in the repository with the one from the manifest. If the override attribute is absent or present but set to false, the current value in the repository is preserved.

Property groups declared as Stable do not contain override attributes on enclosed properties. Property groups declared as Evolving do so only to correct an erroneous setting. Property groups declared as Unstable can contain overrides on any property. The exception to this behavior is for the stability property itself, which can be modified to identify incipient change to the interface presented by the service.

Property Group Deletion

The service_bundle(5) document type definition includes a delete attribute, applicable to each property group in a service manifest. If set to true, the delete attribute instructs svccfg(8) and other manifest import tools to delete this property group from the repository. If the delete attribute is absent or present but set to false, the property group in the repository is preserved.

Property groups declared as Stable or Evolving are not deleted. Property groups declared as Unstable can be deleted across any release boundary.

Profile Application

The first time the existence of each of the three service profiles listed below is detected, svc.startd(8) automatically applies the profile.

/var/svc/profile/generic.xml
/var/svc/profile/platform.xml
/var/svc/profile/site.xml

The svc:/smf/manifest service is used in a similar fashion.

Additional service profiles that characterize the activation of various groups of service instances might be present in /var/svc/profile. None of the /var/svc/profile profiles are automatically applied to the repository. A profile can be manually applied or re-applied using svccfg(8).