IBM Secure Service Container planning considerations
The IBM Secure Service Container is a container technology through which you can quickly and securely deploy firmware and software appliances on the server. Unlike most other types of partitions, a Secure Service Container partition contains its own embedded operating system, security mechanisms, and other features that are specifically designed for simplifying the installation of appliances, and for securely hosting them.
A Secure Service Container partition is a specialized container for installed and running specific firmware or software appliances. An appliance is an integration of operating system, middleware, and software components that work autonomously and provide core services and infrastructures that focus on consumability and security. Firmware appliances are delivered with the mainframe system; software appliances are delivers through software distribution channels.
The z17 support several types of partitions. When system administrators define a partition, they specify characteristics that include processor resources, memory resources, and security controls. System administrators use the Hardware Management Console to define partition characteristics.
- Secure Service Container appliance installer
- Select this option if you want the partition start process to initialize the Secure Service Container Installer so you can install an appliance. This boot selection is the only option when you start a newly configured Secure Service Container partition for the first time. With this option, the Secure Service Container Installer is started automatically. When the start process competes, you can access the Secure Service Container Installer through your choice of browser.
- Secure Service Container appliance
- Select this option if you want the partition start process to effectively restart an installed appliance. If you previously used the Secure Service Container Installer to successfully install a firmware or software appliance, this boot selection becomes the default selection in the image profile for the Secure Service Container partition. In this case, the Secure Service Container Installer is rebooted, and the installed appliance is restarted in the Secure Service Container partition on this and all subsequent reboots, until you change the boot selection in the image profile.
Additional LP definition controls are available for use by Secure Service Container logical partitions. For details, refer to Establishing Secure Service Container parameter descriptions.