# ovs-pki

## NAME



           ovs-pki - OpenFlow public key infrastructure management utility
    


## SYNOPSIS



           Each command takes the form:
    
           **ovs-pki <options> <command> <args>...**
    
           The implemented commands and their arguments are:
    
           • **ovs-pki init**
    
           • **ovs-pki req <name>**
    
           • **ovs-pki sign <name> [<type>]**
    
           • **ovs-pki req+sign <name> [<type>]**
    
           • **ovs-pki verify <name> [<type>]**
    
           • **ovs-pki fingerprint <file>**
    
           • **ovs-pki self-sign <name>**
    
           Each <type> above is a certificate type, either **switch**(default)
           or **controller**.
    
           The available options are:
    
           • **-k <type> **or **--key= <type>**
    
           • **-B <nbits> **or **--bits= <nbits>**
    
           • **-D <file> **or **--dsaparam= <file>**
    
           • **-b** or **--batch**
    
           • **-f** or **--force**
    
           • **-d <dir> **or **--dir= <dir>**
    
           • **-l <file> **or **--log= <file>**
    
           • **-u** or **--unique**
    
           • **-h** or **--help**
    


## DESCRIPTION



           The **ovs-pki** program sets up and manages a public key
           infrastructure for use with OpenFlow.  It is intended to be a
           simple interface for organizations that do not have an established
           public key infrastructure.  Other PKI tools can substitute for or
           supplement the use of **ovs-pki**.
    
           **ovs-pki** uses **openssl**(1) for certificate management and key
           generation.
    


## OFFLINE COMMANDS



           The following **ovs-pki** commands support manual PKI administration:
    
           • **init**
    
             Initializes a new PKI (by default in **/var/lib/openvswitch/pki** ,
             although this default may be changed at Open vSwitch build time)
             and populates it with a pair of certificate authorities for
             controllers and switches.
    
             This command should ideally be run on a high-security machine
             separate from any OpenFlow controller or switch, called the CA
             machine.  The files **pki/controllerca/cacert.pem** and
             **pki/switchca/cacert.pem** that it produces will need to be copied
             over to the OpenFlow switches and controllers, respectively.
             Their contents may safely be made public.
    
             By default, **ovs-pki** generates 2048-bit RSA keys.  The **-B** or
             **--bits** option (see below) may be used to override the key
             length.  The **-k dsa** or **--key=dsa** option may be used to use DSA
             in place of RSA.  If DSA is selected, the **dsaparam.pem** file
             generated in the new PKI hierarchy must be copied to any machine
             on which the **req** command (see below) will be executed.  Its
             contents may safely be made public.
    
             Other files generated by **init** may remain on the CA machine.  The
             files **pki/controllerca/private/cakey.pem** and
             **pki/switchca/private/cakey.pem** have particularly sensitive
             contents that should not be exposed.
    
           • **req <name>**
    
             Generates a new private key named **< name>-privkey.pem **and
             corresponding certificate request named **< name>-req.pem**.  The
             private key can be intended for use by a switch or a controller.
    
             This command should ideally be run on the switch or controller
             that will use the private key to identify itself.  The file
             **< name>-req.pem **must be copied to the CA machine for signing with
             the **sign** command (below).
    
             This command will output a fingerprint to stdout as its final
             step.  Write down the fingerprint and take it to the CA machine
             before continuing with the **sign** step.
    
             When RSA keys are in use (as is the default), **req** , unlike the
             rest of the **ovs-pki** commands, does not need access to a PKI
             hierarchy created by **ovs-pki init**.  The **-B** or **--bits** option (see
             below) may be used to specify the number of bits in the
             generated RSA key.
    
             When DSA keys are used (as specified with **--key=dsa**), **req** needs
             access to the **dsaparam.pem** file created as part of the PKI
             hierarchy (but not to other files in that tree).  By default,
             **ovs-pki** looks for this file in the PKI directory as
             **dsaparam.pem** , but the **-D** or **--dsaparam** option (see below) may be
             used to specify an alternate location.
    
             **< name>-privkey.pem **has sensitive contents that should not be
             exposed.  **< name>-req.pem **may be safely made public.
    
           • **sign <name> [<type>]**
    
             Signs the certificate request named **< name>-req.pem **that was
             produced in the previous step, producing a certificate named
             **< name>-cert.pem**.  <type>, either **switch**(default) or **controller** ,
             indicates the use for which the key is being certified.
    
             This command must be run on the CA machine.
    
             The command will output a fingerprint to stdout and request that
             you verify that it is the same fingerprint output by the **req**
             command.  This ensures that the request being signed is the same
             one produced by **req**.  (The **-b** or **--batch** option suppresses the
             verification step.)
    
             The file **< name>-cert.pem **will need to be copied back to the
             switch or controller for which it is intended.  Its contents may
             safely be made public.
    
           • **req+sign <name> [<type>]**
    
             Combines the **req** and **sign** commands into a single step,
             outputting all the files produced by each.  The
             **< name>-privkey.pem **and **< name>-cert.pem **files must be copied
             securely to the switch or controller.  **< name>-privkey.pem **has
             sensitive contents and must not be exposed in transit.
             Afterward, it should be deleted from the CA machine.
    
             This combined method is, theoretically, less secure than the
             individual steps performed separately on two different machines,
             because there is additional potential for exposure of the
             private key.  However, it is also more convenient.
    
           • **verify <name> [<type>]**
    
             Verifies that **< name>-cert.pem **is a valid certificate for the
             given <type> of use, either **switch**(default) or **controller**.  If
             the certificate is valid for this use, it prints the message
             **< name>-cert.pem: OK**; otherwise, it prints an error message.
    
           • **fingerprint <file>**
    
             Prints the fingerprint for <file>.  If <file> is a certificate,
             then this is the SHA-1 digest of the DER encoded version of the
             certificate; otherwise, it is the SHA-1 digest of the entire
             file.
    
           • **self-sign <name>**
    
             Signs the certificate request named **< name>-req.pem **using the
             private key **< name>-privkey.pem**, producing a self-signed
             certificate named **< name>-cert.pem**.  The input files should have
             been produced with **ovs-pki req**.
    
             Some controllers accept such self-signed certificates.
    


## OPTIONS



           • **-k <type> **or **--key= <type>**
    
             For the **init** command, sets the public key algorithm to use for
             the new PKI hierarchy.  For the **req** and **req+sign** commands, sets
             the public key algorithm to use for the key to be generated,
             which must match the value specified on **init**.  With other
             commands, the value has no effect.
    
             The <type> may be **rsa**(the default) or **dsa**.
    
           • **-B <nbits> **or **--bits= <nbits>**
    
             Sets the number of bits in the key to be generated.  When RSA
             keys are in use, this option affects only the **init** , **req** , and
             **req+sign** commands, and the same value should be given each time.
             With DSA keys are in use, this option affects only the **init**
             command.
    
             The value must be at least 1024.  The default is 2048.
    
           • **-D <file> **or **--dsaparam= <file>**
    
             Specifies an alternate location for the **dsaparam.pem** file
             required by the **req** and **req+sign** commands.  This option affects
             only these commands, and only when DSA keys are used.
    
             The default is **dsaparam.pem** under the PKI hierarchy.
    
           • **-b** or **--batch**
    
             Suppresses the interactive verification of fingerprints that the
             **sign** command by default requires.
    
           • **-d <dir> **or **--dir= <dir>**
    
             Specifies the location of the PKI hierarchy to be used or
             created by the command.  All commands, except **req** , need access
             to a PKI hierarchy.
    
             The default PKI hierarchy is **/var/lib/openvswitch/pki** , although
             this default may be changed at Open vSwitch build time
    
           • **-f** or **--force**
    
             By default, **ovs-pki** will not overwrite existing files or
             directories.  This option overrides this behavior.
    
           • **-l <file> **or **--log= <file>**
    
             Sets the log file to <file>.  The default is **ovs-pki.log** in the
             OVS log directory.  The default OVS log directory is
             **/var/log/openvswitch** , although this default may be changed at
             Open vSwitch build time.
    
           • **-u** or **--unique**
    
             Changes the format of the certificate’s Common Name (CN) field.
             By default, this field has the format **< name> id:<uuid-or-date>**.
             This option causes the provided name to be treated as unique and
             changes the format of the CN field to be simply **< name>**.
    
           • **-h** or **--help**
    
             Prints a help usage message and exits.
    


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