Encrypted Volume and File System v2.2 Administrator Guide (777846-001, April 2014)

5 EVS keys and user 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:
• EVS 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. For more information about HP-UX privileges, see the privileges(5) manpage.
To perform operations on EVS 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 EVS volumes must have superuser privileges.
NOTE: EVFS user keys restrict execution of EVFS commands only. Read, write and execute access
to data on EVS volumes is still restricted by normal HP-UX file permissions and access controls.
EVS volume owner keys
When you create an EVS 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 EVS volume, including enabling and disabling EVS 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 or file owner key. Only the recovery key and the
owner key can be used to change the owner key of an EVS volume or an encrypted file. The only
operation you can perform with a recovery key is to change the owner key for an EVS volume or
an encrypted file.
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 EVS volume, but configuring recovery
keys is not mandatory for normal EVS operation. You can configure up to two recovery key pairs
per EVS volume.
Authorized user keys
A volume owner can configure additional user keys to use to perform administrative operations
on the EVS 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 EVS operations that the holder of an owner key can perform,
except changing the EVS volume owner, adding and deleting additional keys to a volume, and
destroying the EVS volume by removing the EMD.
Summary of key type and privileged user capabilities
Table 1 summarizes the capabilities for the different key types and for users with superuser privileges
or the appropriate privileges.
40 EVS keys and user privileges