From d313047f6311fbca23dd036f9f775135e9debeed Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Geoff Thorpe Date: Wed, 1 Nov 2000 23:12:01 +0000 Subject: [PATCH 1/1] Explanation, tips, etc. --- demos/tunala/README | 233 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 233 insertions(+) create mode 100644 demos/tunala/README diff --git a/demos/tunala/README b/demos/tunala/README new file mode 100644 index 0000000000..c59fd92bda --- /dev/null +++ b/demos/tunala/README @@ -0,0 +1,233 @@ +This is intended to be an example of a state-machine driven SSL application. It +acts as an SSL tunneler (functioning as either the server or client half, +depending on command-line arguments). *PLEASE* read the comments in tunala.h +before you treat this stuff as anything more than a curiosity - YOU HAVE BEEN +WARNED!! There, that's the draconian bit out of the way ... + + +Why "tunala"?? +-------------- + +I thought I asked you to read tunala.h?? :-) + + +Show me +------- + +If you want to simply see it running, skip to the end and see some example +command-line arguments to demonstrate with. + + +Where to look and what to do? +----------------------------- + +The code is split up roughly coinciding with the detaching of an "abstract" SSL +state machine (which is the purpose of all this) and its surrounding application +specifics. This is primarily to make it possible for me to know when I could cut +corners and when I needed to be rigorous (or at least maintain the pretense as +such :-). + +Network stuff: + +Basically, the network part of all this is what is supposed to be abstracted out +of the way. The intention is to illustrate one way to stick OpenSSL's mechanisms +inside a little memory-driven sandbox and operate it like a pure state-machine. +So, the network code is inside both ip.c (general utility functions and gory +IPv4 details) and tunala.c itself, which takes care of application specifics +like the main select() loop. The connectivity between the specifics of this +application (TCP/IP tunneling and the associated network code) and the +underlying abstract SSL state machine stuff is through the use of the "buffer_t" +type, declared in tunala.h and implemented in buffer.c. + +State machine: + +Which leaves us, generally speaking, with the abstract "state machine" code left +over and this is sitting inside sm.c, with declarations inside tunala.h. As can +be seen by the definition of the state_machine_t structure and the associated +functions to manipulate it, there are the 3 OpenSSL "handles" plus 4 buffer_t +structures dealing with IO on both the encrypted and unencrypted sides ("dirty" +and "clean" respectively). The "SSL" handle is what facilitates the reading and +writing of the unencrypted (tunneled) data. The two "BIO" handles act as the +read and write channels for encrypted tunnel traffic - in other applications +these are often socket BIOs so that the OpenSSL framework operates with the +network layer directly. In this example, those two BIOs are memory BIOs +(BIO_s_mem()) so that the sending and receiving of the tunnel traffic stays +within the state-machine, and we can handle where this gets send to (or read +from) ourselves. + + +Why? +---- + +If you take a look at the "state_machine_t" section of tunala.h and the code in +sm.c, you will notice that nothing related to the concept of 'transport' is +involved. The binding to TCP/IP networking occurs in tunala.c, specifically +within the "tunala_item_t" structure that associates a state_machine_t object +with 4 file-descriptors. The way to best see where the bridge between the +outside world (TCP/IP reads, writes, select()s, file-descriptors, etc) and the +state machine is, is to examine the "tunala_item_io()" function in tunala.c. +This is currently around lines 641-732 but of course could be subject to change. + + +And...? +------- + +Well, although that function is around 90 lines of code, it could easily have +been a lot less only I was trying to address an easily missed "gotcha" (item (2) +below). The main() code that drives the select/accept/IO loop initialises new +tunala_item_t structures when connections arrive, and works out which +file-descriptors go where depending on whether we're an SSL client or server +(client --> accepted connection is clean and proxied is dirty, server --> +accepted connection is dirty and proxied is clean). What that tunala_item_io() +function is attempting to do is 2 things; + + (1) Perform all reads and writes on the network directly into the + state_machine_t's buffers (based on a previous select() result), and only + then allow the abstact state_machine_t to "churn()" using those buffers. + This will cause the SSL machine to consume as much input data from the two + "IN" buffers as possible, and generate as much output data into the two + "OUT" buffers as possible. Back up in the main() function, the next main + loop loop will examine these output buffers and select() for writability + on the corresponding sockets if the buffers are non-empty. + + (2) Handle the complicated tunneling-specific issue of cascading "close"s. + This is the reason for most of the complexity in the logic - if one side + of the tunnel is closed, you can't simply close the other side and throw + away the whole thing - (a) there may still be outgoing data on the other + side of the tunnel that hasn't been sent yet, (b) the close (or things + happening during the close) may cause more data to be generated that needs + sending on the other side. Of course, this logic is complicated yet futher + by the fact that it's different depending on which side closes first :-) + state_machine_close_clean() will indicate to the state machine that the + unencrypted side of the tunnel has closed, so any existing outgoing data + needs to be flushed, and the SSL stream needs to be closed down using the + appropriate shutdown sequence. state_machine_close_dirty() is simpler + because it indicates that the SSL stream has been disconnected, so all + that remains before closing the other side is to flush out anything that + remains and wait for it to all be sent. + +Anyway, with those things in mind, the code should be a little easier to follow +in terms of "what is *this* bit supposed to achieve??!!". + + +How might this help? +-------------------- + +Well, the reason I wrote this is that there seemed to be rather a flood of +questions of late on the openssl-dev and openssl-users lists about getting this +whole IO logic thing sorted out, particularly by those who were trying to either +use non-blocking IO, or wanted SSL in an environment where "something else" was +handling the network already and they needed to operate in memory only. This +code is loosely based on some other stuff I've been working on, although that +stuff is far more complete, far more dependant on a whole slew of other +network/framework code I don't want to incorporate here, and far harder to look +at for 5 minutes and follow where everything is going. I will be trying over +time to suck in a few things from that into this demo in the hopes it might be +more useful, and maybe to even make this demo usable as a utility of its own. +Possible things include: + + * controlling multiple processes/threads - this can be used to combat + latencies and get passed file-descriptor limits on some systems, and it uses + a "controller" process/thread that maintains IPC links with the + processes/threads doing the real work. + + * cert verification rules - having some say over which certs get in or out :-) + + * control over SSL protocols and cipher suites + + * A few other things you can already do in s_client and s_server :-) + + * Support (and control over) session resuming, particular when functioning as + an SSL client. + +If you have a particular environment where this model might work to let you "do +SSL" without having OpenSSL be aware of the transport, then you should find you +could use the state_machine_t structure (or your own variant thereof) and hook +it up to your transport stuff in much the way tunala.c matches it up with those +4 file-descriptors. The state_machine_churn(), state_machine_close_clean(), and +state_machine_close_dirty() functions are the main things to understand - after +that's done, you just have to ensure you're feeding and bleeding the 4 +state_machine buffers in a logical fashion. This state_machine loop handles not +only handshakes and normal streaming, but also renegotiates - there's no special +handling required beyond keeping an eye on those 4 buffers and keeping them in +sync with your outer "loop" logic. Ie. if one of the OUT buffers is not empty, +you need to find an opportunity to try and forward its data on. If one of the IN +buffers is not full, you should keep an eye out for data arriving that should be +placed there. + +This approach could hopefully also allow you to run the SSL protocol in very +different environments. As an example, you could support encrypted event-driven +IPC where threads/processes pass messages to each other inside an SSL layer; +each IPC-message's payload would be in fact the "dirty" content, and the "clean" +payload coming out of the tunnel at each end would be the real intended message. +Likewise, this could *easily* be made to work across unix domain sockets, or +even entirely different network/comms protocols. + +This is also a quick and easy way to do VPN if you (and the remote network's +gateway) support virtual network devices that are encapsulted in a single +network connection, perhaps PPP going through an SSL tunnel? + + +Suggestions +----------- + +Please let me know if you find this useful, or if there's anything wrong or +simply too confusing about it. Patches are also welcome, but please attach a +description of what it changes and why, and "diff -urN" format is preferred. +Mail to geoff@openssl.org should do the trick. + + +Example +------- + +Here is an example of how to use "tunala" ... + +First, it's assumed that OpenSSL has already built, and that you are building +inside the ./demos/tunala/ directory. If not - please correct the paths and +flags inside the Makefile. + +Secondly, this code so far has only ever been built and run on Linux - network +specifics are more than likely to create little glitches on other unixen, +particularly Solaris in my experience. If you're not on Linux, please read the +code wherever compilation flares up and try to make the necessary changes - +usually the man-page associated with the relevant function is enough (eg. all +that AF_INET/PF_INET stuff, subtely different parameters to various IPv4-related +functions like socket(), bind(), fcntl(), etc). + +Thirdly, if you are Win32, you probably need to do some *major* rewriting of +ip.c to stand a hope in hell. Good luck, and please mail me the diff if you do +this, otherwise I will take a look at another time. It can certainly be done, +but it's very non-POSIXy. + +Type make. + +Now, if you don't have an executable "tunala" compiled, go back to "First,...". +Rinse and repeat. + +Inside one console, try typing; + +(i) ./tunala -listen localhost:8080 -proxy localhost:8081 -cacert CA.pem \ + -cert A-client.pem + +In another console, type; + +(ii) ./tunala -listen localhost:8081 -proxy localhost:23 -cacert CA.pem \ + -cert A-server.pem -server 1 + +Now if you open another console and "telnet localhost 8080", you should be +tunneled through to the telnet service on your local machine. Feel free to +experiment :-) + +Notes: + + - the format for the "-listen" argument can skip the host part (eg. "-listen + 8080" is fine). If you do, the listening socket will listen on all interfaces + so you can connect from other machines for example. Using the "localhost" + form listens only on 127.0.0.1 so you can only connect locally (unless, of + course, you've set up weird stuff with your networking in which case probably + none of the above applies). + + - ./tunala -? gives you a list of other command-line options, but tunala.c is + also a good place to look :-) + + -- 2.34.1