ovs-pki(8) Open vSwitch Manual ovs-pki(8)
NAME
ovs-pki - OpenFlow public key infrastructure management utility
SYNOPSIS
ovs-pki [OPTIONS] COMMAND [ARGS]
Stand-alone commands with their arguments:
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
The following additional commands manage an online PKI:
ovs-pki ls [PREFIX] [TYPE]
ovs-pki flush [TYPE]
ovs-pki reject PREFIX [TYPE]
ovs-pki approve PREFIX [TYPE]
ovs-pki prompt [TYPE]
ovs-pki expire [AGE]
Each TYPE above is a certificate type, either switch (default) or controller.
The available options are:
[-k type | --key=type]
[-B nbits | --bits=nbits]
[-D file | --dsaparam=file]
[-b | --batch]
[-f | --force]
[-d dir | --dir=dir]
[-l file | --log=file]
[-h | --help]
Some options do not apply to every command.
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 directory /var/lib/openvswitch/pki) 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/pri-
vate/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 ovs-pki's 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 /var/lib/openvswitch/pki/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 com-
mand. This ensures that the request being signed is the same one produced by req. (The -b or --batch option suppresses the verifi-
cation 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 cer-
tificate 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 certifi-
cate; 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.
ONLINE COMMANDS
An OpenFlow PKI can be administered online, in conjunction with ovs-pki-cgi(8) and a web server such as Apache:
o The web server exports the contents of the PKI via HTTP. All files in a PKI hierarchy files may be made public, except for the
files pki/controllerca/private/cakey.pem and pki/switchca/private/cakey.pem, which must not be exposed.
o ovs-pki-cgi allows newly generated certificate requests for controllers and switches to be uploaded into the pki/controllerca/incom-
ing and pki/switchca/incoming directories, respectively. Uploaded certificate requests are stored in those directories under names
of the form FINGERPRINT-req.pem, which FINGERPRINT is the SHA-1 hash of the file.
o These ovs-pki commands allow incoming certificate requests to be approved or rejected, in a form are suitable for use by humans or
other software.
The following ovs-pki commands support online administration:
ovs-pki ls [PREFIX] [TYPE]
Lists all of the incoming certificate requests of the given TYPE (either switch, the default, or controller). If PREFIX, which must
be at least 4 characters long, is specified, it causes the list to be limited to files whose names begin with PREFIX. This is use-
ful, for example, to avoid typing in an entire fingerprint when checking that a specific certificate request has been received.
ovs-pki flush [TYPE]
Deletes all certificate requests of the given TYPE.
ovs-pki reject PREFIX [TYPE]
Rejects the certificate request whose name begins with PREFIX, which must be at least 4 characters long, of the given type (either
switch, the default, or controller). PREFIX must match exactly one certificate request; its purpose is to allow the user to type
fewer characters, not to match multiple certificate requests.
ovs-pki approve PREFIX [TYPE]
Approves the certificate request whose name begins with PREFIX, which must be at least 4 characters long, of the given TYPE (either
switch, the default, or controller). PREFIX must match exactly one certificate request; its purpose is to allow the user to type
fewer characters, not to match multiple certificate requests.
The command will output a fingerprint to stdout and request that you verify that it is correct. (The -b or --batch option sup-
presses the verification step.)
ovs-pki prompt [TYPE]
Prompts the user for each incoming certificate request of the given TYPE (either switch, the default, or controller). Based on the
certificate request's fingerprint, the user is given the option of approving, rejecting, or skipping the certificate request.
ovs-pki expire [AGE]
Rejects all the incoming certificate requests, of either type, that is older than AGE, which must in one of the forms Ns, Nmin, Nh,
Nday. The default is 1day.
OPTIONS
-k type | --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 | --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 | --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 | --batch
Suppresses the interactive verification of fingerprints that the sign and approve commands by default require.
-d dir | --dir=dir
Specifies the location of the PKI hierarchy to be used or created by the command (default: /var/lib/openvswitch/pki). All commands,
except req, need access to a PKI hierarchy.
-f | --force
By default, ovs-pki will not overwrite existing files or directories. This option overrides this behavior.
-l file | --log=file
Sets the log file to file. Default: /var/log/openvswitch/ovs-pki.log.
-h | --help
Prints a help usage message and exits.
SEE ALSO
ovs-controller(8), ovs-pki-cgi(8)
Open vSwitch May 2008 ovs-pki(8)