Explanation/Reference:
AD: Manifests from the standard directory trees /lib/svc/manifest and /var/svc/manifest are processed during system boot and anytime an administrator or program runs:
$ svcadm restart manifest-import
C: svccfg
apply subcommand
If the argument is a service profile or manifest, apply the configuration to the admin layer of the SMF repository. Services, instances, property groups, and properties will be created as necessary.
E: import [-V] [file | directory]
svccfg import on a file in a system-managed filesystem location (subdirectories of /lib/svc/manifest and / var/svc/manifest) invokes: svcadm restart manifest-import.
Placing your manifests in a system-managed location and invoking svcadm restart manifest-import to import them is the recommended practice.
svccfg import on files in other locations imports their properties as administrative customization into the admin layer. It is equivalent to:
svccfg apply [file | directory]
Incorrect:
not B: Manifests are processed in two different phases during boot.
The service svc:/system/early-manifest-import:default, a pseudo service, is responsible for the first manifest processing. This service processes only manifests from the /lib/svc/manifest directory tree before svc.startd(1M) initializes any services thus enabling services delivered in /lib/svc/manifest to always start with their most updated definition. Since this is a pseudo service, svcadm(1M) commands are ignored though svcs(1) can be used to observe status and get log file information.
The svc:/system/manifest-import:default service handles the second manifest processing and imports manifest files from both /lib/svc/manifest and /var/svc/manifest directory trees, in that respective order.