Enabling disk sandbox settings restricts the read-write file operations of the database to the directory where the main database file is located and any subdirectories of this directory. These restrictions allow users to perform file operations while preventing them from accessing files that users should not have access to. All database users have the same sandbox location.

When disk sandboxing is enabled, relative path names are treated as relative to the directory where the main database file (the system dbspace) is located. When disk sandboxing is not enabled, relative path names are assumed to be relative to the current working directory of the database server.

The most secure setting for disk sandboxing always takes precedence. If a database is started with sandboxing enabled (specified by one of the -sbx server options or the START DATABASE statement or if the disk_sandbox database option is set to On), then the database runs in a disk sandbox regardless of other settings that disable the disk sandboxing feature. Disk sandboxing can be enabled and disabled in the following ways:

 Secure features that control disk sandboxing

 Database backups and disk sandboxing

 See also