[HBASE-8409] Security support for namespaces

• Type: Sub-task
• Status: Closed
• Priority: Blocker
• Resolution: Fixed
• Fix Version/s: 0.98.0, 0.95.2
• Hadoop Flags: Reviewed

Release Note

This patch introduces security privileges to create, alter or drop namespaces. When security is enabled only global admin is allowed to do such operations. Richer namespace privileges will be introduced in HBASE-9206.

• Assignee: Vandana Ayyalasomayajula
• Reporter: Francis Christopher Liu
• Created: 23/Apr/13 23:18
• Updated: 29/Mar/16 20:19
• Resolved: 13/Aug/13 22:02

Description

This task adds the security piece to the namespace feature. The work related to migration of the existing acl table to the new namespace is remaining and will be completed in the follow up patch. Permissions can be granted to a namespace by the hbase admin, by appending '@' to the namespace name. A user with write or admin permissions on a given namespace can create tables in that namespace. The other privileges (R, X, C ) do not have any special meaning w.r.t namespaces. Any users of hbase can list tables in a namespace.

The following commands can only be executed by HBase admins.
1. Grant privileges for user on Namespace.
2. Revoke privileges for user on Namespace

Grant Command:
hbase> grant 'tenant-A' 'W' '@N1'
In the above example, the command will grant the user 'tenant-A' write privileges for a namespace named "N1".

Revoke Command:

hbase> revoke 'tenant-A''@N1'
In the above example, the command will revoke all privileges from user 'tenant-A' for namespace named "N1".

Lets see an example on how privileges work with namespaces.

User "Mike" request for a namespace named "hbase_perf" with the hbase admin.
whoami: hbase
hbase shell >> namespace_create 'hbase_perf'
hbase shell >> grant 'mike', 'W', '@hbase_perf'
Mike creates two tables "table20" and "table50" in the above workspace.
whoami: mike
hbase shell >> create 'hbase_perf.table20', 'family1'
hbase shell >> create 'hbase_perf.table50', 'family1'

Note: As Mike was able to create tables 'hbase_perf.table20', 'hbase_perf.table50', he becomes the owner of those tables.
This means he has "RWXCA" perms on those tables.
Another team member of Mike, Alice wants also to share the same workspace "hbase_perf". HBase admin grants Alice also permission to create tables in "hbase_perf" namespace.
whoami: hbase
hbase shell >> grant 'alice', 'W', '@hbase_perf'
Now Alice can create new tables under "hbase_perf" namespace, but cannot read,write,alter,delete existing tables in the namespace.

whoami: alice
hbase shell >> namespace_list_tables 'hbase_perf'
hbase_perf.table20
hbase_perf.table50
hbase shell >> scan 'hbase_perf.table20'
AccessDeniedException

If Alice wants to read or write to existing tables in the "hbase_perf" namespace, hbase admins need to explicitly grant permission.

whoami: hbase
hbase shell >> grant 'alice', 'RW', 'hbase_perf.table20'
hbase shell >> grant 'alice', 'RW', 'hbase_perf.table50'

Issue Links

• is related to: HBASE-9124 _acl_ table should be migrated to system namespace