X-Git-Url: https://git.openssl.org/gitweb/?a=blobdiff_plain;f=FAQ;h=22c5cf7dc2f36cf7944e6ab5636b15f4b4f42047;hb=ef9f6066998718ae904fc10d46205d67aad9aebe;hp=b17ed26d9f42c5e8abc9b08adfd72e888ec52349;hpb=be7ae175602e55859494b6a79cc380b95a989fd1;p=openssl.git diff --git a/FAQ b/FAQ index b17ed26d9f..22c5cf7dc2 100644 --- a/FAQ +++ b/FAQ @@ -1,88 +1,2 @@ -OpenSSL - Frequently Asked Questions --------------------------------------- - -* 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? - - -* 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. - -The original SSLeay documentation is included in OpenSSL as -doc/ssleay.txt. It may be useful when none of the other ressources -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. 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. +The FAQ is now maintained on the web: + https://www.openssl.org/docs/faq.html