home | help
GELI(8) 		     System Manager's Manual			 GELI(8)

NAME
     geli -- control utility for cryptographic GEOM class

SYNOPSIS
     To compile GEOM_ELI into your kernel, place the following lines in your
     kernel configuration file:

	   device crypto
	   options GEOM_ELI

     Alternately, to load the GEOM_ELI module at boot time, place the following
     line in your loader.conf(5):

	   geom_eli_load="YES"

     Usage of the geli(8) utility:

     geli init [-bPv] [-a aalgo] [-e ealgo] [-i iterations] [-K newkeyfile]
	   [-l keylen] [-s sectorsize] prov
     geli label - an alias for init
     geli attach [-dprv] [-k keyfile] prov
     geli detach [-fl] prov ...
     geli stop - an alias for detach
     geli onetime [-d] [-a aalgo] [-e ealgo] [-l keylen] [-s sectorsize] prov
	   ...
     geli configure [-bB] prov ...
     geli setkey [-pPv] [-i iterations] [-k keyfile] [-K newkeyfile] [-n keyno]
	   prov
     geli delkey [-afv] [-n keyno] prov
     geli kill [-av] [prov ...]
     geli backup [-v] prov file
     geli restore [-v] file prov
     geli clear [-v] prov ...
     geli dump [-v] prov ...
     geli list
     geli status
     geli load
     geli unload

DESCRIPTION
     The geli utility is used to configure encryption on GEOM providers.

     The following is a list of the most important features:

	   *   Utilizes  the  crypto(9) framework, so when there is crypto hard-
	       ware available, geli will make use of it automatically.
	   *   Supports many cryptographic algorithms (currently AES,  Blowfish,
	       Camellia and 3DES).
	   *   Can  optionally	perform data authentication (integrity verifica-
	       tion)  utilizing  one  of  the  following  algorithms:  HMAC/MD5,
	       HMAC/SHA1,    HMAC/RIPEMD160,	HMAC/SHA256,	HMAC/SHA384   or
	       HMAC/SHA512.
	   *   Can create a key  from  a  couple  of  components  (user  entered
	       passphrase, random bits from a file, etc.).
	   *   Allows to encrypt the root partition - the user will be asked for
	       the passphrase before the root file system is mounted.
	   *   The passphrase of the user is strengthened with: B. Kaliski, PKCS
	       #5: Password-Based Cryptography Specification, Version 2.0., RFC,
	       2898.
	   *   Allows to use two independent keys (e.g.  "user key" and "company
	       key").
	   *   It is fast - geli performs simple sector-to-sector encryption.
	   *   Allows  to  backup/restore  Master  Keys,  so  when a user has to
	       quickly destroy his keys, it is possible to get the data back  by
	       restoring keys from the backup.
	   *   Providers can be configured to automatically detach on last close
	       (so  users  do not have to remember to detach providers after un-
	       mounting the file systems).
	   *   Allows to attach a provider with a random, one-time key -  useful
	       for swap partitions and temporary file systems.
	   *   Allows to verify data integrity (data authentication).

     The first argument to geli indicates an action to be performed:

     init	Initialize  provider  which needs to be encrypted.  Here you can
		set up the cryptographic algorithm to use, key length, etc.  The
		last provider's sector is used to store metadata.

		Additional options include:

		-a aalgo  Enable data  integrity  verification	(authentication)
			  using  the  given algorithm.	This will reduce size of
			  available storage and also reduce speed.  For example,
			  when using 4096 bytes  sector  and  HMAC/SHA256  algo-
			  rithm,  89%  of  the original provider storage will be
			  available for  use.	Currently  supported  algorithms
			  are: HMAC/MD5, HMAC/SHA1, HMAC/RIPEMD160, HMAC/SHA256,
			  HMAC/SHA384  and  HMAC/SHA512.   If  the option is not
			  given, there will be no authentication,  only  encryp-
			  tion.

		-e ealgo  Encryption  algorithm to use.  Currently supported al-
			  gorithms are: AES, Blowfish, Camellia and  3DES.   The
			  default is AES.

		-b	  Ask for the passphrase on boot, before the root parti-
			  tion is mounted.  This makes it possible to use an en-
			  crypted  root partition.  One will still need bootable
			  unencrypted storage with a /boot/ directory, which can
			  be a CD-ROM disc or USB pen-drive, that can be removed
			  after boot.

		-i iterations
			  Number of iterations to use with  PKCS#5v2.	If  this
			  option  is not specified, geli will find the number of
			  iterations which is equal to 2 seconds of crypto work.
			  If 0 is given, PKCS#5v2 will not be used.

		-K newkeyfile
			  Specifies a file which contains part of the  key.   If
			  newkeyfile is given as -, standard input will be used.
			  Here	is  how  more than one file with a key component
			  can be used:

				# cat key1 key2 key3 | geli init -K - /dev/da0

		-l keylen
			  Key length to use with the given  cryptographic  algo-
			  rithm.   If  not given, the default key length for the
			  given algorithm is used, which is: 128  for  AES,  128
			  for Blowfish, 128 for Camellia and 192 for 3DES.

		-s sectorsize
			  Change  decrypted  provider's sector size.  Increasing
			  sector size allows to increase performance, because we
			  need to generate an  IV  and	do  encrypt/decrypt  for
			  every  single  sector  -  less number of sectors means
			  less work to do.

		-P	  Do not use passphrase as the key component.

     attach	Attach the given provider.  The master key will be decrypted us-
		ing the given passphrase/keyfile and a new GEOM provider will be
		created using the given provider's name with an ".eli" suffix.

		Additional options include:

		-d	 If specified, a decrypted provider will be detached au-
			 tomatically on last close.  This can  help  with  short
			 memory  -  user does not have to remember to detach the
			 provider after unmounting the	file  system.	It  only
			 works	when  the provider was opened for writing, so it
			 will not work if the file system  on  the  provider  is
			 mounted  read-only.  Probably a better choice is the -l
			 option for the detach subcommand.

		-r	 Attach read-only provider.  It will not be  opened  for
			 writing.

		-k keyfile
			 Specifies  a  file which contains part of the key.  For
			 more information see the description of the  -K  option
			 for the init subcommand.

		-p	 Do not use passphrase as the key component.

     detach	Detach	the  given providers, which means remove the devfs entry
		and clear the keys from memory.

		Additional options include:

		-f	 Force detach - detach even if the provider is open.

		-l	 Mark provider to detach on last close.  If this  option
			 is  specified,  the provider will not be detached until
			 it is open, but when it will be closed  last  time,  it
			 will  be  automatically  detached  (even if it was only
			 opened for reading).

     onetime	Attach the given providers with random, one-time keys.	The com-
		mand can be used to encrypt swap partitions  or  temporary  file
		systems.

		Additional options include:

		-a aalgo  Enable  data	integrity verification (authentication).
			  For more information, see the description of the  init
			  subcommand.

		-e ealgo  Encryption  algorithm  to  use.  For more information,
			  see the description of the init subcommand.

		-d	  Detach on last close.  Note, the option is not  usable
			  for temporary file systems as the provider will be de-
			  tached after creating the file system on it.	It still
			  can  (and  should  be)  used for swap partitions.  For
			  more information, see the description  of  the  attach
			  subcommand.

		-l keylen
			  Key  length  to use with the given cryptographic algo-
			  rithm.  For more information, see the  description  of
			  the init subcommand.

		-s sectorsize
			  Change decrypted provider's sector size.  For more in-
			  formation, see the description of the init subcommand.

     configure	Change configuration of the given providers.

		Additional options include:

		-b  Set the BOOT flag on the given providers.  For more informa-
		    tion, see the description of the init subcommand.

		-B  Remove the BOOT flag from the given providers.

     setkey	Change or setup (if not yet initialized) selected key.	There is
		one master key, which can be encrypted with two independent user
		keys.	With  the init subcommand, only key number 0 is initial-
		ized.  The key can always be changed: for an attached  provider,
		for  a detached provider or on the backup file.  When a provider
		is  attached,  the  user  does	not  have  to  provide	an   old
		passphrase/keyfile.

		Additional options include:

		-i iterations
			 Number  of  iterations  to  use with PKCS#5v2.  If 0 is
			 given, PKCS#5v2 will not be used.  To be  able  to  use
			 this  option  with setkey subcommand, only one key have
			 to be defined and this key has to be changed.

		-k keyfile
			 Specifies a file which contains part of the old key.

		-K newkeyfile
			 Specifies a file which contains part of the new key.

		-n keyno
			 Specifies the number of the key to change (could  be  0
			 or  1).   If the provider is attached and no key number
			 is given, the key used for attaching the provider  will
			 be changed.  If the provider is detached (or we are op-
			 erating  on  a backup file) and no key number is given,
			 the key decrypted with the passphrase/keyfile	will  be
			 changed.

		-p	 Do not use passphrase as the old key component.

		-P	 Do not use passphrase as the new key component.

     delkey	Destroy  (overwrite  with random data) the selected key.  If one
		is destroying keys for an attached provider, the  provider  will
		not  be  detached even if all keys will be destroyed.  It can be
		even rescued with the setkey subcommand.

		-a	 Destroy all keys (does not need -f option).

		-f	 Force key destruction.  This option is  needed  to  de-
			 stroy the last key.

		-n keyno
			 Specifies  the key number.  If the provider is attached
			 and no key number is given, the key used for  attaching
			 the  provider	will  be  destroyed.  If provider is de-
			 tached (or we are operating on a backup file)	the  key
			 number has to be given.

     kill	This  command  should  be used in emergency situations.  It will
		destroy all keys on  the  given  provider  and	will  detach  it
		forcibly (if it is attached).  This is absolutely a one-way com-
		mand  -  if you do not have a metadata backup, your data is gone
		for good.  In case the provider was attached with the  -r  flag,
		the  keys  will  not be destroyed, only the provider will be de-
		tached.

		-a	 If specified, all currently attached providers will  be
			 killed.

     backup	Backup metadata from the given provider to the given file.

     restore	Restore metadata from the given file to the given provider.

     clear	Clear metadata from the given providers.

     dump	Dump metadata stored on the given providers.

     list	See geom(8).

     status	See geom(8).

     load	See geom(8).

     unload	See geom(8).

     Additional options include:

     -v  Be more verbose.

SYSCTL VARIABLES
     The  following  sysctl(8)	variables can be used to control the behavior of
     the ELI GEOM class.  The default value is shown next to each variable.  All
     variables can also be set in /boot/loader.conf.

     kern.geom.eli.debug: 0
	     Debug level of the ELI GEOM class.  This can be set to a number be-
	     tween 0 and 3 inclusive.  If set to 0, minimal debug information is
	     printed.  If set to 3, the maximum amount of debug  information  is
	     printed.

     kern.geom.eli.tries: 3
	     Number  of  times a user is asked for the passphrase.  This is only
	     used for providers which should be attached  on  boot  (before  the
	     root  file system is mounted).  If set to 0, attaching providers on
	     boot  will  be  disabled.	 This  variable   should   be	set   in
	     /boot/loader.conf.

     kern.geom.eli.overwrites: 5
	     Specifies	how  many  times the Master-Key will be overwritten with
	     random values when it is destroyed.  After  this  operation  it  is
	     filled with zeros.

     kern.geom.eli.visible_passphrase: 0
	     If  set  to 1, the passphrase entered on boot (before the root file
	     system is mounted) will be visible.   This  possibility  should  be
	     used  with  caution as the entered passphrase can be logged and ex-
	     posed   via   dmesg(8).	This   variable   should   be	set   in
	     /boot/loader.conf.

     kern.geom.eli.threads: 0
	     Specifies how many kernel threads should be used for doing software
	     cryptography.   Its  purpose is to increase performance on SMP sys-
	     tems.  If hardware acceleration is available, only one thread  will
	     be  started.   If	set  to  0, CPU-bound thread will be started for
	     every active CPU.

     kern.geom.eli.batch: 0
	     When set to 1, can speed-up crypto operations  by	using  batching.
	     Batching  allows  to reduce number of interrupts by responding on a
	     group of crypto requests with one interrupt.  The crypto  card  and
	     the driver has to support this feature.

EXIT STATUS
     Exit status is 0 on success, and 1 if the command fails.

EXAMPLES
     Initialize  a provider which is going to be encrypted with a passphrase and
     random data from a file on the user's pen drive.  Use 4kB sector size.  At-
     tach the provider, create a file system and mount it.  Do	the  work.   Un-
     mount the provider and detach it:

	   # dd if=/dev/random of=/mnt/pendrive/da2.key bs=64 count=1
	   # geli init -s 4096 -K /mnt/pendrive/da2.key /dev/da2
	   Enter new passphrase:
	   Reenter new passphrase:
	   # geli attach -k /mnt/pendrive/da2.key /dev/da2
	   Enter passphrase:
	   # dd if=/dev/random of=/dev/da2.eli bs=1m
	   # newfs /dev/da2.eli
	   # mount /dev/da2.eli /mnt/secret
	   ...
	   # umount /mnt/secret
	   # geli detach da2.eli

     Create an encrypted provider, but use two keys: one for your girlfriend and
     one for you (so there will be no tragedy if she forgets her passphrase):

	   # geli init /dev/da2
	   Enter new passphrase:   (enter your passphrase)
	   Reenter new passphrase:
	   # geli setkey -n 1 /dev/da2
	   Enter passphrase:	   (enter your passphrase)
	   Enter new passphrase:   (let your girlfriend enter her passphrase ...)
	   Reenter new passphrase: (... twice)

     You  are the security-person in your company.  Create an encrypted provider
     for use by the user, but remember that users forget their	passphrases,  so
     back Master Key up with your own random key:

	   # dd if=/dev/random of=/mnt/pendrive/keys/`hostname` bs=64 count=1
	   # geli init -P -K /mnt/pendrive/keys/`hostname` /dev/ad0s1e
	   # geli backup /dev/ad0s1e /mnt/pendrive/backups/`hostname`
	   (use key number 0, so the encrypted Master Key by you will be overwritten)
	   # geli setkey -n 0 -k /mnt/pendrive/keys/`hostname` /dev/ad0s1e
	   (allow the user to enter his passphrase)
	   Enter new passphrase:
	   Reenter new passphrase:

     Encrypted swap partition setup:

	   # dd if=/dev/random of=/dev/ad0s1b bs=1m
	   # geli onetime -d -e 3des ad0s1b
	   # swapon /dev/ad0s1b.eli

     The  example  below  shows how to configure two providers which will be at-
     tached on boot (before the root file system is mounted).  One  of	them  is
     using passphrase and three keyfiles and the other is using only a keyfile:

	   # dd if=/dev/random of=/dev/da0 bs=1m
	   # dd if=/dev/random of=/boot/keys/da0.key0 bs=32k count=1
	   # dd if=/dev/random of=/boot/keys/da0.key1 bs=32k count=1
	   # dd if=/dev/random of=/boot/keys/da0.key2 bs=32k count=1
	   # cat /boot/keys/da0.key0 /boot/keys/da0.key1 /boot/keys/da0.key2 | geli init -b -K - da0
	   Enter new passphrase:
	   Reenter new passphrase:
	   # dd if=/dev/random of=/dev/da1s3a bs=1m
	   # dd if=/dev/random of=/boot/keys/da1s3a.key bs=128k count=1
	   # geli init -b -P -K /boot/keys/da1s3a.key da1s3a

     The  providers  are  initialized,	now  we  have  to  add	those  lines  to
     /boot/loader.conf:

	   geli_da0_keyfile0_load="YES"
	   geli_da0_keyfile0_type="da0:geli_keyfile0"
	   geli_da0_keyfile0_name="/boot/keys/da0.key0"
	   geli_da0_keyfile1_load="YES"
	   geli_da0_keyfile1_type="da0:geli_keyfile1"
	   geli_da0_keyfile1_name="/boot/keys/da0.key1"
	   geli_da0_keyfile2_load="YES"
	   geli_da0_keyfile2_type="da0:geli_keyfile2"
	   geli_da0_keyfile2_name="/boot/keys/da0.key2"

	   geli_da1s3a_keyfile0_load="YES"
	   geli_da1s3a_keyfile0_type="da1s3a:geli_keyfile0"
	   geli_da1s3a_keyfile0_name="/boot/keys/da1s3a.key"

     Not only configure encryption, but also data integrity  verification  using
     HMAC/SHA256.

	   # geli init -a hmac/sha256 -s 4096 /dev/da0
	   Enter new passphrase:
	   Reenter new passphrase:
	   # geli attach /dev/da0
	   Enter passphrase:
	   # dd if=/dev/random of=/dev/da0.eli bs=1m
	   # newfs /dev/da0.eli
	   # mount /dev/da0.eli /mnt/secret

DATA AUTHENTICATION
     geli  can	verify data integrity when an authentication algorithm is speci-
     fied.  When data corruption/modification is detected, geli will not  return
     any  data,  but instead will return an error (EINVAL).  The offset and size
     of the corrupted data will be printed on the console.  It is  important  to
     know against which attacks geli provides protection for your data.  If data
     is  modified  in-place or copied from one place on the disk to another even
     without modification, geli should be able to detect such a change.   If  an
     attacker  can  remember  the  encrypted  data,  he can overwrite any future
     changes with the data he owns without notice.  In other words geli will not
     protect your data against replay attacks.

SEE ALSO
     crypto(4), gbde(4), geom(4), loader.conf(5), gbde(8), geom(8), crypto(9)

HISTORY
     The geli utility appeared in FreeBSD 6.0.	Support for Camellia  block  ci-
     pher is implemented by Yoshisato Yanagisawa in FreeBSD 7.0.

AUTHORS
     Pawel Jakub Dawidek <pjd@FreeBSD.org>

FreeBSD 7.0		       September 16, 2006			 GELI(8)

home | help