When installing packages, like unrar, to a jail, is it only usable from the installation directory?

[koodeta]

I'm new to FreenNAS and Linux but I'm slowly learning as much as I can.

The expand on the question, I'm wanting to install unrar to FreeNAS. I already know that it's unwise to install to the main FreeNAS installation as it will wipe out every time I update. If I installed unrar to the /torrents/ jail, is it only usable from that jail?

As a follow up question, is it advisable to install the unrar package to the main dataset so it can be used in all jails and other folders or would that be too much of a security risk (in order to stay within best practices for future use)?

 

[danb35]

Packages in a jail can only be run inside that jail. Thus, you'll need to enter the jail (either by use of the jexec command, or by ssh-ing into it), and run unrar (or whatever) inside the jail. The jail can have access to whatever datasets you want by way of the "add storage" feature.

 

[fracai]

Most tools will only be useable from within the jail. Sometimes you can run them from outside of the jail. Under 9.2 I would run 'gsort', that was inside a jail, from outside the jail. That stopped working when I upgraded to 9.3, but I'm betting that specific case is due to a mismatch between libraries used by the 9.3 OS differing from those in the 9.2 jail.

For now though, I still run gsort outside the jail, but I have to use chroot so gsort can find the appropriate libraries.

I'd assume unrar would work similarly.