QSIEVE(1)						    BSD General Commands Manual 						 QSIEVE(1)

NAME

     qsieve, qsafe -- generate system moduli file

SYNOPSIS

     qsieve [megabytes bits [initial]]
     qsafe [trials [generator]]

DESCRIPTION

     The qsieve utility will list candidates for Sophie-Germaine primes (where q = (p-1)/2) to standard output.  The list is checked against small
     known primes (less than 2**30).  This step is both processor and memory intensive.

     The megabytes value sets a limit for the internal sieve buffer.  This should be small enough to remain entirely in memory.  Swap thrashing
     can increase the run time from hours to days or weeks!  When the megabytes value is zero (0), qsieve will select a default suitable for the
     bits.

     The bits value sets the length of the generated possible primes (typically 768, 1024, 1536, 2048, 3072, or 4096, although others can be used
     for variety).

     The optional initial value (hex) specifies the beginning of the search.  Otherwise, qsieve generates a randomly selected number.

     The qsafe utility will perform a Miller-Rabin primality test on the list of candidates (checking both q and p) from standard input.  The
     result is a list of so-call "safe" primes to standard output, suitable for use as Diffie-Hellman moduli.  This step is merely processor
     intensive.

     The trials value sets the number of Miller-Rabin interations (typically 16 to 128).

     The optional generator value (hex) limits testing to candidates with a specific generator (usually 2).  Otherwise, qsafe will test each can-
     didate and suggest a generator.

SEE ALSO

     moduli(5)

HISTORY

     These programs were originally developed for the Photuris project, and later the OpenSSH project.

BSD
								   July 28, 1997							       BSD