X-Git-Url: https://git.openssl.org/?p=openssl.git;a=blobdiff_plain;f=FAQ;h=22c5cf7dc2f36cf7944e6ab5636b15f4b4f42047;hp=3eaf2117d799bad33e31e2a166b4f287b5529f40;hb=f11ffa505f8a9345145a26a05bf77b012b6941bd;hpb=1d6750b759e292c5403dd08eea6668e186fe5477 diff --git a/FAQ b/FAQ index 3eaf2117d7..22c5cf7dc2 100644 --- a/FAQ +++ b/FAQ @@ -1,195 +1,2 @@ -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? -* Why can't the OpenSSH configure script detect OpenSSL? - - -* Which is the current version of OpenSSL? - -The current version is available from . -OpenSSL 0.9.5 was released on February 28th, 2000. - -In addition to the current stable release, you can also access daily -snapshots of the OpenSSL development version at , 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 -. - -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 . 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 -. - - -* 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 makes the error visible by refusing to -perform potentially insecure encryption. - -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 that the command "openssl rsa" in OpenSSL 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 snaphost 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. - - -* 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 ----- - +The FAQ is now maintained on the web: + https://www.openssl.org/docs/faq.html