/mandos/trunk

To get this branch, use:
bzr branch http://bzr.recompile.se/loggerhead/mandos/trunk

« back to all changes in this revision

Viewing changes to intro.xml

  • Committer: Teddy Hogeborn
  • Date: 2019-08-18 00:23:21 UTC
  • Revision ID: teddy@recompile.se-20190818002321-qvjsogu0rhoyuwyc
Use the systemd sysusers.d mechanism, if present

* Makefile (SYSUSERS): New.
  (install-server): Also install sysusers.d file, if $(SYSUSERS)
                    exists.
* debian/mandos.dirs (usr/lib/sysusers.d): New.
* sysusers.d-mandos.conf: New.

Show diffs side-by-side

added added

removed removed

Lines of Context:
intro.xml
1
1
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
2
2
<!DOCTYPE refentry PUBLIC "-//OASIS//DTD DocBook XML V4.5//EN"
3
3
"http://www.oasis-open.org/docbook/xml/4.5/docbookx.dtd" [
4
 
<!ENTITY TIMESTAMP "2019-02-09">
 
4
<!ENTITY TIMESTAMP "2019-08-04">
5
5
<!ENTITY % common SYSTEM "common.ent">
6
6
%common;
7
7
]>
38
38
      <year>2016</year>
39
39
      <year>2017</year>
40
40
      <year>2018</year>
 
41
      <year>2019</year>
41
42
      <holder>Teddy Hogeborn</holder>
42
43
      <holder>Björn Påhlsson</holder>
43
44
    </copyright>
130
131
    </para>
131
132
    <para>
132
133
      So, at boot time, the Mandos client will ask for its encrypted
133
 
      data over the network, decrypt it to get the password, use it to
134
 
      decrypt the root file, and continue booting.
 
134
      data over the network, decrypt the data to get the password, use
 
135
      the password to decrypt the root file system, and the client can
 
136
      then continue booting.
135
137
    </para>
136
138
    <para>
137
139
      Now, of course the initial RAM disk image is not on the
143
145
      long, and will no longer give out the encrypted key.  The timing
144
146
      here is the only real weak point, and the method, frequency and
145
147
      timeout of the server’s checking can be adjusted to any desired
146
 
      level of paranoia
 
148
      level of paranoia.
147
149
    </para>
148
150
    <para>
149
151
      (The encrypted keys on the Mandos server is on its normal file
382
384
      plugin requirements.
383
385
    </para>
384
386
  </refsect1>
385
 
  
 
387
 
 
388
  <refsect1 id="systemd">
 
389
    <title>SYSTEMD</title>
 
390
    <para>
 
391
      More advanced startup systems like <citerefentry><refentrytitle
 
392
      >systemd</refentrytitle><manvolnum>1</manvolnum></citerefentry>,
 
393
      already have their own plugin-like mechanisms for allowing
 
394
      multiple agents to independently retrieve a password and deliver
 
395
      it to the subsystem requesting a password to unlock the root
 
396
      file system.  On these systems, it would make no sense to run
 
397
      <citerefentry><refentrytitle>plugin-runner</refentrytitle
 
398
      ><manvolnum>8mandos</manvolnum></citerefentry>, the plugins of
 
399
      which would largely duplicate the work of (and conflict with)
 
400
      the existing systems prompting for passwords.
 
401
    </para>
 
402
    <para>
 
403
      As for <citerefentry><refentrytitle>systemd</refentrytitle
 
404
      ><manvolnum>1</manvolnum></citerefentry> in particular, it has
 
405
      its own <ulink
 
406
      url="https://www.freedesktop.org/wiki/Software/systemd/PasswordAgents/"
 
407
      >Password Agents</ulink> system.  Mandos uses this via its
 
408
      <citerefentry><refentrytitle>password-agent</refentrytitle
 
409
      ><manvolnum>8mandos</manvolnum></citerefentry> program, which
 
410
      is run instead of <citerefentry><refentrytitle
 
411
      >plugin-runner</refentrytitle><manvolnum>8mandos</manvolnum
 
412
      ></citerefentry> when <citerefentry><refentrytitle
 
413
      >systemd</refentrytitle><manvolnum>1</manvolnum></citerefentry>
 
414
      is used during system startup.
 
415
    </para>
 
416
  </refsect1>
386
417
  <refsect1 id="bugs">
387
418
    <title>BUGS</title>
388
419
    <xi:include href="bugs.xml"/>
403
434
      <manvolnum>8</manvolnum></citerefentry>,
404
435
      <citerefentry><refentrytitle>plugin-runner</refentrytitle>
405
436
      <manvolnum>8mandos</manvolnum></citerefentry>,
 
437
      <citerefentry><refentrytitle>password-agent</refentrytitle>
 
438
      <manvolnum>8mandos</manvolnum></citerefentry>,
406
439
      <citerefentry><refentrytitle>mandos-client</refentrytitle>
407
440
      <manvolnum>8mandos</manvolnum></citerefentry>,
408
441
      <citerefentry><refentrytitle>password-prompt</refentrytitle>