1 '\" te
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   3 .\" installed location.
   4 .\" Portions Copyright (c) 2009, Sun Microsystems, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
   5 .TH SSH-AGENT 1 "Aug 17, 2009"
   6 .SH NAME
   7 ssh-agent \- authentication agent
   8 .SH SYNOPSIS
   9 .LP
  10 .nf
  11 \fBssh-agent\fR [\fB-a\fR \fIbind_address\fR] [\fB-c\fR | \fB-s\fR ] [\fB-d\fR]
  12      [-t \fIlife\fR] [\fIcommand\fR [\fIargs\fR]...]
  13 .fi
  14 
  15 .LP
  16 .nf
  17 \fBssh-agent\fR [\fB-c\fR | \fB-s\fR] \fB-k\fR
  18 .fi
  19 
  20 .SH DESCRIPTION
  21 .LP
  22 \fBssh-agent\fR is a program to hold private keys used for public key
  23 authentication (\fBRSA\fR, \fBDSA\fR). \fBssh-agent\fR is often started at the
  24 beginning of a login session. All other windows or programs are started as
  25 clients to the \fBssh-agent\fR program. Through use of environment variables,
  26 the agent can be located and automatically used for authentication when logging
  27 in to other machines using \fBssh\fR(1). See the \fISystem Administration
  28 Guide: Security Services\fR.
  29 .sp
  30 .LP
  31 If a command line is given, this is executed as a subprocess of the agent. When
  32 the command dies, so does the agent.
  33 .sp
  34 .LP
  35 The agent initially does not have any private keys. Keys are added using
  36 \fBssh-add\fR(1), which sends the identity to the agent. Several identities can
  37 be stored in the agent; the agent can automatically use any of these
  38 identities. Use the \fB-l\fR option in \fBssh-add\fR(1) to display the
  39 identities currently held by the agent.
  40 .sp
  41 .LP
  42 The agent is run in the user's local host. Authentication data need not be
  43 stored on any other machine, and authentication passphrases never go over the
  44 network. However, if the connection to the agent is forwarded over \fBSSH\fR
  45 remote logins, the user can use the privileges given by the identities anywhere
  46 in the network in a secure way.
  47 .sp
  48 .LP
  49 There are two main ways to get an agent setup. Either you let the agent start a
  50 new subcommand into which some environment variables are exported, or you let
  51 the agent print the needed shell commands (either \fBsh\fR(1) or \fBcsh\fR(1)
  52 syntax can be generated) which can be evalled in the calling shell. Later, use
  53 \fBssh\fR(1) to look at these variables and use them to establish a connection
  54 to the agent.
  55 .sp
  56 .LP
  57 A unix-domain socket is created (\fB/tmp/ssh-XXXXXXXX/agent.\fIpid\fR\fR) and
  58 the name of this socket is stored in the \fBSSH_AUTH_SOCK\fR environment
  59 variable. The socket is made accessible only to the current user. This method
  60 is easily abused by root or another instance of the same user.
  61 .sp
  62 .LP
  63 The \fBSSH_AGENT_PID\fR environment variable holds the agent's \fBPID\fR.
  64 .sp
  65 .LP
  66 The agent exits automatically when the command given on the command line
  67 terminates.
  68 .SH OPTIONS
  69 .LP
  70 The following options are supported:
  71 .sp
  72 .ne 2
  73 .na
  74 \fB\fB-a\fR \fIbind_address\fR\fR
  75 .ad
  76 .RS 19n
  77 Binds the agent to the unix-domain socket bind_address. The default is
  78 \fB/tmp/ssh-XXXXXXXX/agent.\fIpid\fR\fR.
  79 .RE
  80 
  81 .sp
  82 .ne 2
  83 .na
  84 \fB\fB-c\fR\fR
  85 .ad
  86 .RS 19n
  87 Generates C-shell commands on stdout. This is the default if \fBSHELL\fR
  88 indicates that it is a csh style of shell.
  89 .RE
  90 
  91 .sp
  92 .ne 2
  93 .na
  94 \fB\fB-d\fR\fR
  95 .ad
  96 .RS 19n
  97 Debug mode. When this option is specified, \fBssh-agent\fR does not fork.
  98 .RE
  99 
 100 .sp
 101 .ne 2
 102 .na
 103 \fB\fB-k\fR\fR
 104 .ad
 105 .RS 19n
 106 Kills the current agent (given by the \fBSSH_AGENT_PID\fR environment
 107 variable).
 108 .RE
 109 
 110 .sp
 111 .ne 2
 112 .na
 113 \fB\fB-s\fR\fR
 114 .ad
 115 .RS 19n
 116 Generates Bourne shell commands on stdout. This is the default if \fBSHELL\fR
 117 does not indicate that it is a csh style of shell.
 118 .RE
 119 
 120 .sp
 121 .ne 2
 122 .na
 123 \fB\fB-t\fR \fIlife\fR\fR
 124 .ad
 125 .RS 19n
 126 Set a default value for the maximum lifetime (\fIlife\fR) of identities added
 127 to the agent. \fIlife\fR can be specified in seconds or in a time format
 128 specified in \fBsshd_config\fR(4). \fIlife\fR specified for an identity with
 129 \fBssh-add\fR(1) overrides this value. Without this option the default maximum
 130 \fIlife\fR is forever.
 131 .RE
 132 
 133 .SH EXIT STATUS
 134 .LP
 135 The following exit values are returned:
 136 .sp
 137 .ne 2
 138 .na
 139 \fB\fB0\fR\fR
 140 .ad
 141 .RS 5n
 142 Successful completion.
 143 .RE
 144 
 145 .sp
 146 .ne 2
 147 .na
 148 \fB\fB1\fR\fR
 149 .ad
 150 .RS 5n
 151 An error occurred.
 152 .RE
 153 
 154 .SH FILES
 155 .ne 2
 156 .na
 157 \fB\fB/tmp/ssh-XXXXXXXX/agent.\fIpid\fR\fR\fR
 158 .ad
 159 .sp .6
 160 .RS 4n
 161 Unix-domain sockets used to contain the connection to the authentication agent.
 162 These sockets should only be readable by the owner. The sockets are removed
 163 when the agent exits.
 164 .RE
 165 
 166 .SH ATTRIBUTES
 167 .LP
 168 See \fBattributes\fR(5) for descriptions of the following attributes:
 169 .sp
 170 
 171 .sp
 172 .TS
 173 box;
 174 c | c
 175 l | l .
 176 ATTRIBUTE TYPE  ATTRIBUTE VALUE
 177 _
 178 Interface Stability     Committed
 179 .TE
 180 
 181 .SH SEE ALSO
 182 .LP
 183 \fBssh\fR(1), \fBssh-add\fR(1), \fBssh-keygen\fR(1), \fBsshd\fR(1M),
 184 \fBsshd_config\fR(4), \fBattributes\fR(5)
 185 .sp
 186 .LP
 187 \fISystem Administration Guide: Security Services\fR