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-rw-r--r--doc/ChangeLog4
-rw-r--r--doc/DETAILS101
-rw-r--r--doc/HACKING4
-rw-r--r--doc/gpg.sgml9
4 files changed, 114 insertions, 4 deletions
diff --git a/doc/ChangeLog b/doc/ChangeLog
index 06008a3aa..bdd535e5c 100644
--- a/doc/ChangeLog
+++ b/doc/ChangeLog
@@ -1,3 +1,7 @@
+2000-03-09 15:01:51 Werner Koch ([email protected])
+
+ * DETAILS: Ad a short blurb about unattended key generation.
+
Wed Feb 9 15:33:44 CET 2000 Werner Koch <[email protected]>
* gpg.sgml: Describe --ignore-time-conflict.
diff --git a/doc/DETAILS b/doc/DETAILS
index 0ab83ecdf..37475c6b5 100644
--- a/doc/DETAILS
+++ b/doc/DETAILS
@@ -231,6 +231,107 @@ Key generation
Crypto '97 proceedings p. 260.
+Unattended key generation
+=========================
+There is an experimental feature which allows for unattended
+generation of keys controlled by a parameter file.
+This feature is not very well tested and does only make sense for some
+very special applications. Please don't complain if we decide to chnage
+the behaviour of this command.
+
+To use this feature, you use --gen-key together with --batch and feed the
+parameters either form stdin or from a file given on the commandline.
+The format of this file is as follows:
+ o Text only, line length is limited to about 1000 chars.
+ o You must use UTF-8 encoding to specifiy non-ascii characters.
+ o Empty lines are ignored
+ o Leading and trailing spaces are ignored
+ o A hash sign as the first non white space character indicates a comment line
+ o Control statements are indicated by a leading percent sign, the
+ arguments are separated by white space from the keyword.
+ o Parameters are specified by a keyword, followed by a colon. Arguments
+ are speparated by white space.
+ o The first parameter must be "Key-Type", control statements
+ may be placed anywhere.
+ o Key generation takes place when either the end of the parameter file
+ is reached, the next "Key-Type" parameter is encountered or at the
+ controlstatement "%commit"
+ o Control staements:
+ %echo <text>
+ Print <text>
+ %dry-run
+ Suppress actual key generation (useful for syntax checking)
+ %commit
+ Perform the key generation. An implicit commit is done
+ at the next "Key-Type" parameter.
+ %pubring <filename>
+ %secring <filename>
+ Do not write the key to the default or commandline given
+ keyring but to <filename>. This must be given before the first
+ commit to take place, duplicate specification of the same filename
+ is ignored, the last filename before a commit is used.
+ The filename is used until a new filename is used (at commit points)
+ and all keys are written to that file. If a new filename is given,
+ this file is created (and overwrites an existing one).
+ Both control statements must be given.
+ o The order of the parameters does not matter except for "Key-Type"
+ which must be the first parameter. The paramtyers are only for the
+ generated keyblock and paramters from previous key generations are not
+ used. Some syntactically checks may be performed.
+ The currently defined parameters are:
+ Key-Type: <algo-number>|<algo-string>
+ Starts a new parameter block by giving the type of the
+ primary key. The algorithm must be capable of signing.
+ This is a required parameter.
+ Key-Length: <length-in-bits>
+ Length of the key in bits. Default is 1024
+ Subkey-Type: <algo-number>|<algo-string>
+ This generates a secondary key. Currently only one subkey
+ can be handled.
+ Subkey-Length: <length-in-bits>
+ Length of the subkey in bits. Default is 1024.
+ Passphrase: <string>
+ If you want to specify a passphrase for the secret key,
+ enter it here. Default is not to use any passphrase.
+ Name-Real: <string>
+ Name-Comment: <string>
+ Name-Email: <string>
+ The 3 parts of a key. Remember to use UTF-8 here.
+ If you don't give any of them, no user ID is created.
+ Expire-Date: <iso-date>|(<number>[d|w|m|y])
+ Set the expiration date for the key (and the subkey). It
+ may either be entered in ISO date format (2000-08-15) or as
+ number of days, weeks, month or years. Without a letter days
+ are assumed.
+
+Here is an example:
+$ cat >foo <<EOF
+ %echo Generating a standard key
+ Key-Type: DSA
+ Key-Length: 1024
+ Subkey-Type: ELG-E
+ Subkey-Length: 1024
+ Name-Real: Joe Tester
+ Name-Comment: with stupid passphrase
+ Name-Email: [email protected]
+ Expire-Date: 0
+ Passphrase: abc
+ %pubring foo.pub
+ %secring foo.sec
+ # Do a commit here, so that we can later print "done" :-)
+ %commit
+ %echo done
+EOF
+$ gpg --batch --gen-key -a foo
+ [...]
+$ gpg --no-default-keyring --secret-keyring foo.sec \
+ --keyring foo.pub --list-secret-keys
+/home/wk/work/gnupg-stable/scratch/foo.sec
+------------------------------------------
+sec 1024D/915A878D 2000-03-09 Joe Tester (with stupid passphrase) <[email protected]>
+ssb 1024g/8F70E2C0 2000-03-09
+
+
Layout of the TrustDB
=====================
diff --git a/doc/HACKING b/doc/HACKING
index 6f4c9ffd8..2f4de27d3 100644
--- a/doc/HACKING
+++ b/doc/HACKING
@@ -10,12 +10,12 @@ CVS Access
==========
Anonymous read-only CVS access is available:
- cvs -z6 -d :pserver:[email protected]:/home/koch/cvs login
+ cvs -z6 -d :pserver:[email protected]:/home/koch/cvs login
use the password "anonymous". To check out the the complete
archive use:
- cvs -z6 -d :pserver:[email protected]:/home/koch/cvs checkout gnupg
+ cvs -z6 -d :pserver:[email protected]:/home/koch/cvs checkout gnupg
This service is provided to help you in hunting bugs and not to deliver
stable snapshots; it may happen that it even does not compile, so please
diff --git a/doc/gpg.sgml b/doc/gpg.sgml
index c20bfb173..51a0f28b3 100644
--- a/doc/gpg.sgml
+++ b/doc/gpg.sgml
@@ -235,8 +235,13 @@ useful for debugging.
<varlistentry>
<term>--gen-key</term>
<listitem><para>
-Generate a new key pair. This command can only be
-used interactive.
+Generate a new key pair. This command is normally only used
+interactive.
+</para>
+<para>
+There is an experimental feature which allows to create keys
+in batch mode. See the file <filename>doc/DETAILS</filename>
+in the source distribution on how to use this.
</para></listitem></varlistentry>