openssl/FAQ

OpenSSL  -  Frequently Asked Questions
--------------------------------------

* Which is the current version of OpenSSL?
* Where is the documentation?
* How can I contact the OpenSSL developers?
* Do I need patent licenses to use OpenSSL?
* Is OpenSSL thread-safe?
* Why do I get a "PRNG not seeded" error message?
* Why does the linker complain about undefined symbols?
* Where can I get a compiled version of OpenSSL?
* I've compiled a program under Windows and it crashes: why?
* I've called <some function> and it fails, why?
* I just get a load of numbers for the error output, what do they mean?
* Why do I get errors about unknown algorithms?
* How do I create certificates or certificate requests?
* Why can't I create certificate requests?
* Why does <SSL program> fail with a certificate verify error?
* Why can I only use weak ciphers when I connect to a server using OpenSSL?
* How can I create DSA certificates?
* Why can't I make an SSL connection using a DSA certificate?
* How can I remove the passphrase on a private key?
* Why can't the OpenSSH configure script detect OpenSSL?
* Why does the OpenSSL test fail with "bc: command not found"?
* Why does the OpenSSL test fail with "bc: 1 no implemented"?


* Which is the current version of OpenSSL?

The current version is available from <URL: http://www.openssl.org>.
OpenSSL 0.9.5a was released on April 1st, 2000.

In addition to the current stable release, you can also access daily
snapshots of the OpenSSL development version at <URL:
ftp://ftp.openssl.org/snapshot/>, or get it by anonymous CVS access.


* Where is the documentation?

OpenSSL is a library that provides cryptographic functionality to
applications such as secure web servers.  Be sure to read the
documentation of the application you want to use.  The INSTALL file
explains how to install this library.

OpenSSL includes a command line utility that can be used to perform a
variety of cryptographic functions.  It is described in the openssl(1)
manpage.  Documentation for developers is currently being written.  A
few manual pages already are available; overviews over libcrypto and
libssl are given in the crypto(3) and ssl(3) manpages.

The OpenSSL manpages are installed in /usr/local/ssl/man/ (or a
different directory if you specified one as described in INSTALL).
In addition, you can read the most current versions at
<URL: http://www.openssl.org/docs/>.

For information on parts of libcrypto that are not yet documented, you
might want to read Ariel Glenn's documentation on SSLeay 0.9, OpenSSL's
predecessor, at <URL: http://www.columbia.edu/~ariel/ssleay/>.  Much
of this still applies to OpenSSL.

There is some documentation about certificate extensions and PKCS#12
in doc/openssl.txt

The original SSLeay documentation is included in OpenSSL as
doc/ssleay.txt.  It may be useful when none of the other resources
help, but please note that it reflects the obsolete version SSLeay
0.6.6.


* How can I contact the OpenSSL developers?

The README file describes how to submit bug reports and patches to
OpenSSL.  Information on the OpenSSL mailing lists is available from
<URL: http://www.openssl.org>.


* Do I need patent licenses to use OpenSSL?

The patents section of the README file lists patents that may apply to
you if you want to use OpenSSL.  For information on intellectual
property rights, please consult a lawyer.  The OpenSSL team does not
offer legal advice.

You can configure OpenSSL so as not to use RC5 and IDEA by using
 ./config no-rc5 no-idea

Until the RSA patent expires, U.S. users may want to use
 ./config no-rc5 no-idea no-rsa

Please note that you will *not* be able to communicate with most of
the popular web browsers without RSA support.


* Is OpenSSL thread-safe?

Yes (with limitations: an SSL connection may not concurrently be used
by multiple threads).  On Windows and many Unix systems, OpenSSL
automatically uses the multi-threaded versions of the standard
libraries.  If your platform is not one of these, consult the INSTALL
file.

Multi-threaded applications must provide two callback functions to
OpenSSL.  This is described in the threads(3) manpage.


* Why do I get a "PRNG not seeded" error message?

Cryptographic software needs a source of unpredictable data to work
correctly.  Many open source operating systems provide a "randomness
device" that serves this purpose.  On other systems, applications have
to call the RAND_add() or RAND_seed() function with appropriate data
before generating keys or performing public key encryption.

Some broken applications do not do this.  As of version 0.9.5, the
OpenSSL functions that need randomness report an error if the random
number generator has not been seeded with at least 128 bits of
randomness.  If this error occurs, please contact the author of the
application you are using.  It is likely that it never worked
correctly.  OpenSSL 0.9.5 and later make the error visible by refusing
to perform potentially insecure encryption.

On systems without /dev/urandom, it is a good idea to use the Entropy
Gathering Demon; see the RAND_egd() manpage for details.

Most components of the openssl command line tool try to use the
file $HOME/.rnd (or $RANDFILE, if this environment variable is set)
for seeding the PRNG.  If this file does not exist or is too short,
the "PRNG not seeded" error message may occur.

[Note to OpenSSL 0.9.5 users: The command "openssl rsa" in version
0.9.5 does not do this and will fail on systems without /dev/urandom
when trying to password-encrypt an RSA key!  This is a bug in the
library; try a later version instead.]


* Why does the linker complain about undefined symbols?

Maybe the compilation was interrupted, and make doesn't notice that
something is missing.  Run "make clean; make".

If you used ./Configure instead of ./config, make sure that you
selected the right target.  File formats may differ slightly between
OS versions (for example sparcv8/sparcv9, or a.out/elf).

In case you get errors about the following symbols, use the config
option "no-asm", as described in INSTALL:

 BF_cbc_encrypt, BF_decrypt, BF_encrypt, CAST_cbc_encrypt,
 CAST_decrypt, CAST_encrypt, RC4, RC5_32_cbc_encrypt, RC5_32_decrypt,
 RC5_32_encrypt, bn_add_words, bn_div_words, bn_mul_add_words,
 bn_mul_comba4, bn_mul_comba8, bn_mul_words, bn_sqr_comba4,
 bn_sqr_comba8, bn_sqr_words, bn_sub_words, des_decrypt3,
 des_ede3_cbc_encrypt, des_encrypt, des_encrypt2, des_encrypt3,
 des_ncbc_encrypt, md5_block_asm_host_order, sha1_block_asm_data_order

If none of these helps, you may want to try using the current snapshot.
If the problem persists, please submit a bug report.


* Where can I get a compiled version of OpenSSL?

Some applications that use OpenSSL are distributed in binary form.
When using such an application, you don't need to install OpenSSL
yourself; the application will include the required parts (e.g. DLLs).

If you want to install OpenSSL on a Windows system and you don't have
a C compiler, read the "Mingw32" section of INSTALL.W32 for information
on how to obtain and install the free GNU C compiler.

A number of Linux and *BSD distributions include OpenSSL.


* I've compiled a program under Windows and it crashes: why?

This is usually because you've missed the comment in INSTALL.W32. You
must link with the multithreaded DLL version of the VC++ runtime library
otherwise the conflict will cause a program to crash: typically on the
first BIO related read or write operation.


* I've called <some function> and it fails, why?

Before submitting a report or asking in one of the mailing lists, you
should try to determine the cause. In particular, you should call
ERR_print_errors() or ERR_print_errors_fp() after the failed call
and see if the message helps. Note that the problem may occur earlier
than you think -- you should check for errors after every call where
it is possible, otherwise the actual problem may be hidden because
some OpenSSL functions clear the error state.


* I just get a load of numbers for the error output, what do they mean?

The actual format is described in the ERR_print_errors() manual page.
You should call the function ERR_load_crypto_strings() before hand and
the message will be output in text form. If you can't do this (for example
it is a pre-compiled binary) you can use the errstr utility on the error
code itself (the hex digits after the second colon).


* Why do I get errors about unknown algorithms?

This can happen under several circumstances such as reading in an
encrypted private key or attempting to decrypt a PKCS#12 file. The cause
is forgetting to load OpenSSL's table of algorithms with
OpenSSL_add_all_algorithms(). See the manual page for more information.


* How do I create certificates or certificate requests?

Check out the CA.pl(1) manual page. This provides a simple wrapper round
the 'req', 'verify', 'ca' and 'pkcs12' utilities. For finer control check
out the manual pages for the individual utilities and the certificate
extensions documentation (currently in doc/openssl.txt).


* Why can't I create certificate requests?

You typically get the error:

	unable to find 'distinguished_name' in config
	problems making Certificate Request

This is because it can't find the configuration file. Check out the
DIAGNOSTICS section of req(1) for more information.


* Why does <SSL program> fail with a certificate verify error?

This problem is usually indicated by log messages saying something like
"unable to get local issuer certificate" or "self signed certificate".
When a certificate is verified its root CA must be "trusted" by OpenSSL
this typically means that the CA certificate must be placed in a directory
or file and the relevant program configured to read it. The OpenSSL program
'verify' behaves in a similar way and issues similar error messages: check
the verify(1) program manual page for more information.


* Why can I only use weak ciphers when I connect to a server using OpenSSL?

This is almost certainly because you are using an old "export grade" browser
which only supports weak encryption. Upgrade your browser to support 128 bit
ciphers.


* How can I create DSA certificates?

Check the CA.pl(1) manual page for a DSA certificate example.


* Why can't I make an SSL connection to a server using a DSA certificate?

Typically you'll see a message saying there are no shared ciphers when
the same setup works fine with an RSA certificate. There are two possible
causes. The client may not support connections to DSA servers most web
browsers (including Netscape and MSIE) only support connections to servers
supporting RSA cipher suites. The other cause is that a set of DH parameters
has not been supplied to the server. DH parameters can be created with the
dhparam(1) command and loaded using the SSL_CTX_set_tmp_dh() for example:
check the source to s_server in apps/s_server.c for an example.


* How can I remove the passphrase on a private key?

Firstly you should be really *really* sure you want to do this. Leaving
a private key unencrypted is a major security risk. If you decide that
you do have to do this check the EXAMPLES sections of the rsa(1) and
dsa(1) manual pages.


* Why can't the OpenSSH configure script detect OpenSSL?

There is a problem with OpenSSH 1.2.2p1, in that the configure script
can't find the installed OpenSSL libraries.  The problem is actually
a small glitch that is easily solved with the following patch to be
applied to the OpenSSH distribution:

----- snip:start -----
--- openssh-1.2.2p1/configure.in.orig	Thu Mar 23 18:56:58 2000
+++ openssh-1.2.2p1/configure.in	Thu Mar 23 18:55:05 2000
@@ -152,10 +152,10 @@
 AC_MSG_CHECKING([for OpenSSL/SSLeay directory])
 for ssldir in "" $tryssldir /usr /usr/local/openssl /usr/lib/openssl /usr/local/ssl /usr/lib/ssl /usr/local /usr/pkg /opt /opt/openssl ; do
 	if test ! -z "$ssldir" ; then
-		LIBS="$saved_LIBS -L$ssldir"
+		LIBS="$saved_LIBS -L$ssldir/lib"
 		CFLAGS="$CFLAGS -I$ssldir/include"
 		if test "x$need_dash_r" = "x1" ; then
-			LIBS="$LIBS -R$ssldir"
+			LIBS="$LIBS -R$ssldir/lib"
 		fi
 	fi
 	LIBS="$LIBS -lcrypto"
--- openssh-1.2.2p1/configure.orig	Thu Mar 23 18:55:02 2000
+++ openssh-1.2.2p1/configure	Thu Mar 23 18:57:08 2000
@@ -1890,10 +1890,10 @@
 echo "configure:1891: checking for OpenSSL/SSLeay directory" >&5
 for ssldir in "" $tryssldir /usr /usr/local/openssl /usr/lib/openssl /usr/local/ssl /usr/lib/ssl /usr/local /usr/pkg /opt /opt/openssl ; do
 	if test ! -z "$ssldir" ; then
-		LIBS="$saved_LIBS -L$ssldir"
+		LIBS="$saved_LIBS -L$ssldir/lib"
 		CFLAGS="$CFLAGS -I$ssldir/include"
 		if test "x$need_dash_r" = "x1" ; then
-			LIBS="$LIBS -R$ssldir"
+			LIBS="$LIBS -R$ssldir/lib"
 		fi
 	fi
 	LIBS="$LIBS -lcrypto"
----- snip:end -----


* Why does the OpenSSL test fail with "bc: command not found"?

You didn't install "bc", the Unix calculator.  If you want to run the
tests, get GNU bc from ftp://ftp.gnu.org or from your OS distributor.


* Why does the OpenSSL test fail with "bc: 1 no implemented"?

On some SCO installations or versions, bc has a bug that gets triggered when
you run the test suite (using "make test").  The message returned is "bc:
1 not implemented".  The best way to deal with this is to find another
implementation of bc and compile/install it.  For example, GNU bc (see
http://www.gnu.org/software/software.html for download instructions) can
be safely used.