Zones vs. Jail

I started this chart about a month ago, and I never got back to it, its pretty accurate, so here it is, if i made any errors feel free to email me or post a comment and i will fix it. Just decided that a parital chart is better than letting this thing sit on my disk and collect dust. If you want a pdf of it or pure html of it let me know.


Update #3: Zones vs Jail vs Xen working links.

	Solaris Zones	FreeBSD Jails	Linux/BSD chroot	User Mode Linux	VMware	Why is the question important
Independent File system	Yes if needed	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Uses more Space, but provides more flexibility
Shared read-only immutable Filed System	Yes	Yes, requires complex scripts, or mounting via NFS.	Needs complex Scripts, or NFS needed	Yes, May not notice changes on the underlying file system when changed by the host	Yes	Saves space and is more secure easier to maintain
Can access raw devices	No, requires permission from the host	No	Yes	File systems yes hardware no drivers are in the work but is raw hardware access a good thing.	Yes	Security Problem, but can be a requirement of the task
Access Network resources	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Required in most tasks
Can create or change Network Devices	No	No	Yes	No hardware devices internally. Virtual devices, devices are more limited.	Yes	Security Risk
Can access hardware devices with out permission	No	No	Yes	No	No	Security Risk
Single Point of Maintenance (kernel and software changes)	Yes	No	No	No	No	Makes Maintaining a breeze
Can send signals and kill processes outside of the zone/jail you are in.	No	No	No	No	No	Security Risk
Run’s a separate kernel	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	Allows for flexibility more secure.
Can monitor Processes and IO using standard tools	Yes	Yes	Yes	Limited with use of Uml_mconsole, tools are lacking to automate this	No
Light weight uses less than 1% CPU overhead	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No
Can be a NFS server	No	Maybe, requires extra configuration	Yes	Yes	Yes
Host can examine data inside the zone/choot/or UML instance without special tools	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No
Resource Control outside of the Secure Area	Yes	No	No		Limited	Keep a run away or rogue process from stealing all resources
Simple control interface	Yes	Startup yes, shut down no	No	Yes	Yes	Easy Administration
Configuration Application for simple setup and modification	Yes	No	No	No	Yes, user must still configure host OS.	Easy Administration