Mastering Linux Security and Hardening - Second Edition

Troubleshooting in permissive mode

If you're dealing with a simple problem like the one I've just shown you, then you can probably assume that you can safely do what the first suggestion in the setroubleshoot message tells you to do. But there will be times when things get a bit more complex, where you might have more than one problem. For times like these, you need to use permissive mode.

When you first install your Red Hat or CentOS system, SELinux is in enforcing mode, which is the default. This means that SELinux will actually stop actions that are in violation of the active SELinux policy. This also means that, if you have multiple SELinux problems when you try to perform a certain action, SELinux will stop the action from taking place ...