path: root/utilities/ovs-pki.8.in

.TH ovs\-pki 8 "May 2008" "Open vSwitch" "Open vSwitch Manual"

.SH NAME
ovs\-pki \- OpenFlow public key infrastructure management utility

.SH SYNOPSIS
\fBovs\-pki\fR [\fIOPTIONS\fR] \fICOMMAND\fR [\fIARGS\fR]
.sp
Stand\-alone commands with their arguments:
.br
\fBovs\-pki\fR \fBinit\fR
.br
\fBovs\-pki\fR \fBreq\fR \fINAME\fR
.br
\fBovs\-pki\fR \fBsign\fR \fINAME\fR [\fITYPE\fR]
.br
\fBovs\-pki\fR \fBreq+sign\fR \fINAME\fR [\fITYPE\fR]
.br
\fBovs\-pki\fR \fBverify\fR \fINAME\fR [\fITYPE\fR]
.br
\fBovs\-pki\fR \fBfingerprint\fR \fIFILE\fR
.br
\fBovs\-pki\fR \fBself\-sign\fR \fINAME\fR
.sp
The following additional commands manage an online PKI:
.br
\fBovs\-pki\fR \fBls\fR [\fIPREFIX\fR] [\fITYPE\fR]
.br
\fBovs\-pki\fR \fBflush\fR [\fITYPE\fR]
.br
\fBovs\-pki\fR \fBreject\fR \fIPREFIX\fR [\fITYPE\fR]
.br
\fBovs\-pki\fR \fBapprove\fR \fIPREFIX\fR [\fITYPE\fR]
.br
\fBovs\-pki\fR \fBprompt\fR [\fITYPE\fR]
.br
\fBovs\-pki\fR \fBexpire\fR [\fIAGE\fR]
.sp
Each \fITYPE\fR above is a certificate type, either \fBswitch\fR
(default) or \fBcontroller\fR.
.sp
The available options are:
.br
[\fB\-k\fR \fItype\fR | \fB\-\^\-key=\fItype\fR]
.br
[\fB\-B\fR \fInbits\fR | \fB\-\^\-bits=\fInbits\fR]
.br
[\fB\-D\fR \fIfile\fR | \fB\-\^\-dsaparam=\fIfile\fR]
.br
[\fB\-b\fR | \fB\-\^\-batch\fR]
.br
[\fB\-f\fR | \fB\-\^\-force\fR]
.br
[\fB\-d\fR \fIdir\fR | \fB\-\^\-dir=\fR\fIdir\fR]
.br
[\fB\-l\fR \fIfile\fR | \fB\-\^\-log=\fIfile\fR]
.br
[\fB\-h\fR | \fB\-\^\-help\fR]
.sp
Some options do not apply to every command.

.SH DESCRIPTION
The \fBovs\-pki\fR program sets up and manages a public key
infrastructure for use with OpenFlow.  It is intended to be a simple
interface for organizations that do not have an established public key
infrastructure.  Other PKI tools can substitute for or supplement the
use of \fBovs\-pki\fR.

\fBovs\-pki\fR uses \fBopenssl\fR(1) for certificate management and key
generation.

.SH "OFFLINE COMMANDS"

The following \fBovs\-pki\fR commands support manual PKI
administration:

.TP
\fBinit\fR
Initializes a new PKI (by default in directory \fB@PKIDIR@\fR) and populates
it with a pair of certificate authorities for controllers and
switches.

This command should ideally be run on a high\-security machine separate
from any OpenFlow controller or switch, called the CA machine.  The
files \fBpki/controllerca/cacert.pem\fR and
\fBpki/switchca/cacert.pem\fR that it produces will need to be copied
over to the OpenFlow switches and controllers, respectively.  Their
contents may safely be made public.

By default, \fBovs\-pki\fR generates 2048\-bit RSA keys.  The \fB\-B\fR
or \fB\-\^\-bits\fR option (see below) may be used to override the key
length.  The \fB\-k dsa\fR or \fB\-\^\-key=dsa\fR option may be used to use
DSA in place of RSA.  If DSA is selected, the \fBdsaparam.pem\fR file
generated in the new PKI hierarchy must be copied to any machine on
which the \fBreq\fR command (see below) will be executed.  Its
contents may safely be made public.

Other files generated by \fBinit\fR may remain on the CA machine.
The files \fBpki/controllerca/private/cakey.pem\fR and
\fBpki/switchca/private/cakey.pem\fR have particularly sensitive
contents that should not be exposed.

.TP
\fBreq\fR \fINAME\fR
Generates a new private key named \fINAME\fR\fB\-privkey.pem\fR and
corresponding certificate request named \fINAME\fR\fB\-req.pem\fR.
The private key can be intended for use by a switch or a controller.

This command should ideally be run on the switch or controller that
will use the private key to identify itself.  The file
\fINAME\fR\fB\-req.pem\fR must be copied to the CA machine for signing
with the \fBsign\fR command (below).  

This command will output a fingerprint to stdout as its final step.
Write down the fingerprint and take it to the CA machine before
continuing with the \fBsign\fR step.

When RSA keys are in use (as is the default), \fBreq\fR, unlike the
rest of \fBovs\-pki\fR's commands, does not need access to a PKI
hierarchy created by \fBovs\-pki init\fR.  The \fB\-B\fR or
\fB\-\^\-bits\fR option (see below) may be used to specify the number of
bits in the generated RSA key.

When DSA keys are used (as specified with \fB\-\^\-key=dsa\fR), \fBreq\fR
needs access to the \fBdsaparam.pem\fR file created as part of the PKI
hierarchy (but not to other files in that tree).  By default,
\fBovs\-pki\fR looks for this file in \fB@PKIDIR@/dsaparam.pem\fR, but
the \fB\-D\fR or \fB\-\^\-dsaparam\fR option (see below) may be used to
specify an alternate location.

\fINAME\fR\fB\-privkey.pem\fR has sensitive contents that should not be
exposed.  \fINAME\fR\fB\-req.pem\fR may be safely made public.

.TP
\fBsign\fR \fINAME\fR [\fITYPE\fR]
Signs the certificate request named \fINAME\fR\fB\-req.pem\fR that was
produced in the previous step, producing a certificate named
\fINAME\fR\fB\-cert.pem\fR.  \fITYPE\fR, either \fBswitch\fR (default) or
\fBcontroller\fR, indicates the use for which the key is being
certified.

This command must be run on the CA machine.

The command will output a fingerprint to stdout and request that you
verify that it is the same fingerprint output by the \fBreq\fR
command.  This ensures that the request being signed is the same one
produced by \fBreq\fR.  (The \fB\-b\fR or \fB\-\^\-batch\fR option
suppresses the verification step.)

The file \fINAME\fR\fB\-cert.pem\fR will need to be copied back to the
switch or controller for which it is intended.  Its contents may
safely be made public.

.TP
\fBreq+sign\fR \fINAME\fR [\fITYPE\fR]
Combines the \fBreq\fR and \fBsign\fR commands into a single step,
outputting all the files produced by each.  The
\fINAME\fR\fB\-privkey.pem\fR and \fINAME\fR\fB\-cert.pem\fR files must
be copied securely to the switch or controller.
\fINAME\fR\fB\-privkey.pem\fR has sensitive contents and must not be
exposed in transit.  Afterward, it should be deleted from the CA
machine.

This combined method is, theoretically, less secure than the
individual steps performed separately on two different machines,
because there is additional potential for exposure of the private
key.  However, it is also more convenient.

.TP
\fBverify\fR \fINAME\fR [\fITYPE\fR]
Verifies that \fINAME\fR\fB\-cert.pem\fR is a valid certificate for the
given \fITYPE\fR of use, either \fBswitch\fR (default) or
\fBcontroller\fR.  If the certificate is valid for this use, it prints
the message ``\fINAME\fR\fB\-cert.pem\fR: OK''; otherwise, it prints an
error message.

.TP
\fBfingerprint\fR \fIFILE\fR
Prints the fingerprint for \fIFILE\fR.  If \fIFILE\fR is a
certificate, then this is the SHA\-1 digest of the DER encoded version
of the certificate; otherwise, it is the SHA\-1 digest of the entire
file.

.TP
\fBself\-sign\fR \fINAME\fR
Signs the certificate request named \fINAME\fB\-req.pem\fR using the
private key \fINAME\fB\-privkey.pem\fR, producing a self-signed
certificate named \fINAME\fB\-cert.pem\fR.  The input files should have
been produced with \fBovs\-pki req\fR.

Some controllers accept such self-signed certificates.

.SH "ONLINE COMMANDS"

An OpenFlow PKI can be administered online, in conjunction with
.BR ovs\-pki\-cgi (8)
and a web server such as Apache:

.IP \(bu
The web server exports the contents of the PKI via HTTP.  All files in
a PKI hierarchy files may be made public, except for the files
\fBpki/controllerca/private/cakey.pem\fR and
\fBpki/switchca/private/cakey.pem\fR, which must not be exposed.

.IP \(bu
\fBovs\-pki\-cgi\fR allows newly generated certificate requests for
controllers and switches to be uploaded into the
\fBpki/controllerca/incoming\fR and \fBpki/switchca/incoming\fR
directories, respectively.  Uploaded certificate requests are stored
in those directories under names of the form
\fIFINGERPRINT\fB\-req.pem\fR, which \fIFINGERPRINT\fR is the SHA\-1
hash of the file.

.IP \(bu
These \fBovs\-pki\fR commands allow incoming certificate requests to
be approved or rejected, in a form are suitable for use by humans or
other software.

.PP
The following \fBovs\-pki\fR commands support online administration:

.TP
\fBovs\-pki\fR \fBls\fR [\fIPREFIX\fR] [\fITYPE\fR]
Lists all of the incoming certificate requests of the given \fITYPE\fR
(either \fBswitch\fR, the default, or \fBcontroller\fR).  If
\fIPREFIX\fR, which must be at least 4 characters long, is specified,
it causes the list to be limited to files whose names begin with
\fIPREFIX\fR.  This is useful, for example, to avoid typing in an
entire fingerprint when checking that a specific certificate request
has been received.

.TP
\fBovs\-pki\fR \fBflush\fR [\fITYPE\fR]
Deletes all certificate requests of the given \fITYPE\fR.

.TP
\fBovs\-pki\fR \fBreject\fR \fIPREFIX\fR [\fITYPE\fR]
Rejects the certificate request whose name begins with \fIPREFIX\fR,
which must be at least 4 characters long, of the given type (either
\fBswitch\fR, the default, or \fBcontroller\fR).  \fIPREFIX\fR must
match exactly one certificate request; its purpose is to allow the
user to type fewer characters, not to match multiple certificate
requests.

.TP
\fBovs\-pki\fR \fBapprove\fR \fIPREFIX\fR [\fITYPE\fR]
Approves the certificate request whose name begins with \fIPREFIX\fR,
which must be at least 4 characters long, of the given \fITYPE\fR
(either \fBswitch\fR, the default, or \fBcontroller\fR).  \fIPREFIX\fR
must match exactly one certificate request; its purpose is to allow
the user to type fewer characters, not to match multiple certificate
requests.

The command will output a fingerprint to stdout and request that you
verify that it is correct.  (The \fB\-b\fR or \fB\-\^\-batch\fR option
suppresses the verification step.)

.TP
\fBovs\-pki\fR \fBprompt\fR [\fITYPE\fR]
Prompts the user for each incoming certificate request of the given
\fITYPE\fR (either \fBswitch\fR, the default, or \fBcontroller\fR).
Based on the certificate request's fingerprint, the user is given the
option of approving, rejecting, or skipping the certificate request.

.TP
\fBovs\-pki\fR \fBexpire\fR [\fIAGE\fR]

Rejects all the incoming certificate requests, of either type, that is
older than \fIAGE\fR, which must in one of the forms \fIN\fBs\fR,
\fIN\fBmin\fR, \fIN\fBh\fR, \fIN\fBday\fR.  The default is \fB1day\fR.

.SH OPTIONS
.TP
\fB\-k\fR \fItype\fR | \fB\-\^\-key=\fItype\fR
For the \fBinit\fR command, sets the public key algorithm to use for
the new PKI hierarchy.  For the \fBreq\fR and \fBreq+sign\fR commands,
sets the public key algorithm to use for the key to be generated,
which must match the value specified on \fBinit\fR.  With other
commands, the value has no effect.

The \fItype\fR may be \fBrsa\fR (the default) or \fBdsa\fR.

.TP
\fB\-B\fR \fInbits\fR | \fB\-\^\-bits=\fInbits\fR
Sets the number of bits in the key to be generated.  When RSA keys are
in use, this option affects only the \fBinit\fR, \fBreq\fR, and
\fBreq+sign\fR commands, and the same value should be given each time.
With DSA keys are in use, this option affects only the \fBinit\fR
command.

The value must be at least 1024.  The default is 2048.

.TP
\fB\-D\fR \fIfile\fR | \fB\-\^\-dsaparam=\fIfile\fR
Specifies an alternate location for the \fBdsaparam.pem\fR file
required by the \fBreq\fR and \fBreq+sign\fR commands.  This option
affects only these commands, and only when DSA keys are used.

The default is \fBdsaparam.pem\fR under the PKI hierarchy.

.TP
\fB\-b\fR | \fB\-\^\-batch\fR
Suppresses the interactive verification of fingerprints that the
\fBsign\fR and \fBapprove\fR commands by default require.

.TP
\fB\-d\fR \fIdir\fR | \fB\-\^\-dir=\fR\fIdir\fR
Specifies the location of the PKI hierarchy to be used or created by
the command (default: \fB@PKIDIR@\fR).  All commands, except \fBreq\fR,
need access to a PKI hierarchy.

.TP
\fB\-f\fR | \fB\-\^\-force\fR
By default, \fBovs\-pki\fR will not overwrite existing files or
directories.  This option overrides this behavior.

.TP
\fB\-l\fR \fIfile\fR | \fB\-\^\-log=\fIfile\fR
Sets the log file to \fIfile\fR.  Default:
\fB@LOGDIR@/ovs\-pki.log\fR.

.TP
\fB\-h\fR | \fB\-\^\-help\fR
Prints a help usage message and exits.

.SH "SEE ALSO"

.BR ovs\-controller (8),
.BR ovs\-pki\-cgi (8)