1IPSEC_RANBITS(8)                [FIXME: manual]               IPSEC_RANBITS(8)
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NAME

6       ipsec_newhostkey - generate a new raw RSA authentication key for a host
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SYNOPSIS

9       ipsec newhostkey [[--configdiranssdbdir] | [--password password]]
10             [[--quiet] | [--verbose]] [--bits bits] [--hostname hostname]
11             --output filename
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DESCRIPTION

14       newhostkey outputs (into filename, which can be ´-´ for standard
15       output) an RSA private key suitable for this host, in
16       /etc/ipsec.secrets format (see ipsec.secrets(5)) using the --quiet
17       option per default.
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19       The --output option is mandatory. The specified filename is created
20       under umask 077 if nonexistent; if it already exists and is non-empty,
21       a warning message about that is sent to standard error, and the output
22       is appended to the file.
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24       The --quiet option suppresses both the rsasigkey narrative and the
25       existing-file warning message.
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27       When compiled with NSS support, --configdir specifies the nss
28       configuration directory where the certificate key, and modsec databases
29       reside. There is no default value, though /etc/ipsec.d might be
30       sensible choice.
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32       When compiled with NSS support, --password specifies a module
33       authentication password that may be required if FIPS mode is enabled
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35       The --bits option specifies the number of bits in the key; the current
36       default is 2192 and we do not recommend use of anything shorter unless
37       unusual constraints demand it.
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39       The --hostname option is passed through to rsasigkey to tell it what
40       host name to label the output with (via its --hostname option).
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42       The output format is that of rsasigkey, with bracketing added to
43       complete the ipsec.secrets format. In the usual case, where
44       ipsec.secrets contains only the host’s own private key, the output of
45       newhostkey is sufficient as a complete ipsec.secrets file.
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FILES

48       /dev/random, /dev/urandom
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SEE ALSO

51       ipsec_rsasigkey(8), ipsec.secrets(5)
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HISTORY

54       Written for the Linux FreeS/WAN project <http://www.freeswan.org> by
55       Henry Spencer.
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BUGS

58       As with rsasigkey, the run time is difficult to predict, since
59       depletion of the system’s randomness pool can cause arbitrarily long
60       waits for random bits, and the prime-number searches can also take
61       unpre dictable (and potentially large) amounts of CPU time. See
62       ipsec_rsasigkey(8) for some typical performance numbers.
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64       A higher-level tool which could handle the clerical details of changing
65       to a new key would be helpful.
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67       The requirement for --output is a blemish, but private keys are
68       extremely sensitive information and unusual precautions seem justified.
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72[FIXME: source]                   10/06/2010                  IPSEC_RANBITS(8)
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