summaryrefslogtreecommitdiff
path: root/ssh-agent.0
diff options
context:
space:
mode:
Diffstat (limited to 'ssh-agent.0')
-rw-r--r--ssh-agent.0107
1 files changed, 107 insertions, 0 deletions
diff --git a/ssh-agent.0 b/ssh-agent.0
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..9a1b85645
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ssh-agent.0
@@ -0,0 +1,107 @@
1SSH-AGENT(1) System General Commands Manual SSH-AGENT(1)
2
3NAME
4 ssh-agent - authentication agent
5
6SYNOPSIS
7 ssh-agent [-a bind_address] [-c | -s] [-d] [command [args ...]]
8 ssh-agent [-c | -s] -k
9
10DESCRIPTION
11 ssh-agent is a program to hold private keys used for public key authentiM--
12 cation (RSA, DSA). The idea is that ssh-agent is started in the beginM--
13 ning of an X-session or a login session, and all other windows or proM--
14 grams are started as clients to the ssh-agent program. Through use of
15 environment variables the agent can be located and automatically used for
16 authentication when logging in to other machines using ssh(1).
17
18 The options are as follows:
19
20 -a bind_address
21 Bind the agent to the unix-domain socket bind_address. The
22 default is /tmp/ssh-XXXXXXXX/agent.<ppid>.
23
24 -c Generate C-shell commands on stdout. This is the default if
25 SHELL looks like it's a csh style of shell.
26
27 -s Generate Bourne shell commands on stdout. This is the default if
28 SHELL does not look like it's a csh style of shell.
29
30 -k Kill the current agent (given by the SSH_AGENT_PID environment
31 variable).
32
33 -d Debug mode. When this option is specified ssh-agent will not
34 fork.
35
36 If a commandline is given, this is executed as a subprocess of the agent.
37 When the command dies, so does the agent.
38
39 The agent initially does not have any private keys. Keys are added using
40 ssh-add(1). When executed without arguments, ssh-add(1) adds the files
41 $HOME/.ssh/id_rsa, $HOME/.ssh/id_dsa and $HOME/.ssh/identity. If the
42 identity has a passphrase, ssh-add(1) asks for the passphrase (using a
43 small X11 application if running under X11, or from the terminal if runM--
44 ning without X). It then sends the identity to the agent. Several idenM--
45 tities can be stored in the agent; the agent can automatically use any of
46 these identities. ssh-add -l displays the identities currently held by
47 the agent.
48
49 The idea is that the agent is run in the user's local PC, laptop, or terM--
50 minal. Authentication data need not be stored on any other machine, and
51 authentication passphrases never go over the network. However, the conM--
52 nection to the agent is forwarded over SSH remote logins, and the user
53 can thus use the privileges given by the identities anywhere in the netM--
54 work in a secure way.
55
56 There are two main ways to get an agent setup: Either the agent starts a
57 new subcommand into which some environment variables are exported, or the
58 agent prints the needed shell commands (either sh(1) or csh(1) syntax can
59 be generated) which can be evalled in the calling shell. Later ssh(1)
60 looks at these variables and uses them to establish a connection to the
61 agent.
62
63 The agent will never send a private key over its request channel.
64 Instead, operations that require a private key will be performed by the
65 agent, and the result will be returned to the requester. This way, priM--
66 vate keys are not exposed to clients using the agent.
67
68 A unix-domain socket is created and the name of this socket is stored in
69 the SSH_AUTH_SOCK environment variable. The socket is made accessible
70 only to the current user. This method is easily abused by root or
71 another instance of the same user.
72
73 The SSH_AGENT_PID environment variable holds the agent's process ID.
74
75 The agent exits automatically when the command given on the command line
76 terminates.
77
78FILES
79 $HOME/.ssh/identity
80 Contains the protocol version 1 RSA authentication identity of
81 the user.
82
83 $HOME/.ssh/id_dsa
84 Contains the protocol version 2 DSA authentication identity of
85 the user.
86
87 $HOME/.ssh/id_rsa
88 Contains the protocol version 2 RSA authentication identity of
89 the user.
90
91 /tmp/ssh-XXXXXXXX/agent.<ppid>
92 Unix-domain sockets used to contain the connection to the authenM--
93 tication agent. These sockets should only be readable by the
94 owner. The sockets should get automatically removed when the
95 agent exits.
96
97AUTHORS
98 OpenSSH is a derivative of the original and free ssh 1.2.12 release by
99 Tatu Ylonen. Aaron Campbell, Bob Beck, Markus Friedl, Niels Provos, Theo
100 de Raadt and Dug Song removed many bugs, re-added newer features and creM--
101 ated OpenSSH. Markus Friedl contributed the support for SSH protocol
102 versions 1.5 and 2.0.
103
104SEE ALSO
105 ssh(1), ssh-add(1), ssh-keygen(1), sshd(8)
106
107BSD September 25, 1999 BSD