1 manpage(SILC) (1) (October 31 2002) (silc-client-0.9.7) (silc-client)
4 manpagename(silc) (client for SILC, a secure and flexible conferencing network)
8 bf(silc) bf([) -S em(file) | -d | -C | -c em(host) | -w em(pass) |
9 -p em(port) | -! | -n em(nick) | -h em(host) | -v | -? bf(])
13 SILC (Secure Internet Live Conferencing) is a secure conferencing network.
14 bf(Silc) is the SILC client which is used to connect to SILC server and
15 the SILC network. The silc client resembles IRC clients to make the
16 using easier for new users.
18 bf(Silc) supports sending of practically any kind of messages in addition
19 of normal text messages in the SILC network. The session to SILC server
20 is secured with session key, channel messages are protected with channel
21 key and private messages with session keys. It is also possible to use
22 private channel keys and private message keys in addition of server
25 bf(Silc) supports em(passphrase) authentication and public key authentication
26 based on em(digital signatures), when connecting to SILC server. bf(Silc)
27 also supports key exchange (key agreement) between other bf(Silc) users in
28 the SILC network to negotiate secret key material. This key material then
29 can be used to secure for example private messages. It is also possible to
30 exchange public keys and certificates in the SILC network between clients
33 The bf(silc) also supports em(detaching) from the SILC network by closing
34 the connection to the server but without quitting from the network. Next
35 time the bf(silc) connects to the server it em(resumes) the session in the
36 SILC network. During the detaching the user remains in the network and other
37 users may query the user information and see that user is in network but
38 currently detached. Messages sent to user while being detached are
39 dropped by the server. When resuming is over the user has automatically
40 same nickname than before detaching and remains on all channels, and it
41 seems like user never left the network.
43 The bf(silc) also supports creation of em(friends) list, which is kind of
44 a buddy list familiar from IM (Instant Messaging) clients. By using the
45 bf(WHOIS) SILC command with em(-details) option it is possible to fetch the
46 user's information such as their public keys and certificates, business
47 card, pictures, and other information and save them to the friends list.
48 The friends list is located at bf(~/.silc/friends/) directory.
50 The SILC public key and private key pair is used to authenticate the user
51 to the SILC server when connecting a server. This key pair is created
52 automatically when the bf(silc) is run for the first time. It also can
53 be created with bf(-C) option.
55 When connecting for the first time to SILC server, user will be asked to
56 accept the server's public key. When key is accepted the bf(silc) saves
57 the public key for future into bf(~/.silc/serverkeys/) directory. The
58 next time user connects to same server the public key is verified against
59 the saved public key. The purpose of this public key saving is to avoid
60 man-in-the-middle attacks which could be possible if the key would have
61 to be verified every time user connects to the server.
64 bf(-c) em(host) Connect to given host
66 bf(-p) em(port) Connect to em(port)
68 bf(-C) Create new public key pair
70 bf(-P) Change the passphrase of the private key file
72 bf(-S) em(keyfile) Display the contents of given SILC public key from file
74 bf(-n) em(nick) Specify what nick to use
76 bf(-h) em(host) Give em(host) as your hostname
78 bf(-w) em(pass) Use em(pass) as password for connection
80 bf(-d) em(string) Enable debugging
82 bf(-v) Display client version
84 bf(-!) Do not autoconnect
86 bf(-?) Display client help message
89 manpagesection(LONG OPTIONS)
91 bf(--connect)=em(SERVER) Same as bf(-c).
93 bf(--port)=em(PORT) Same as bf(-p).
95 bf(--home)=em(PATH) Client home dir (em(~/.silc)).
97 bf(--config)=em(PATH) Configuration file location (em(~/.silc/silc.conf)).
99 bf(--list-ciphers) List supported ciphers.
101 bf(--list-hash-funcs) List supported hash functions.
103 bf(--list-hmacs) List supported HMACs.
105 bf(--list-pkcs) List supported PKCSs.
107 bf(--create-key-pair) Same as bf(-C).
109 bf(--passphrase-change) Same as bf(-P).
111 bf(--nick)=em(NICK) Same as bf(-n).
113 bf(--hostname)=em(HOST) Same as bf(-h).
115 bf(--password)=em(PASS) Same as bf(-w).
117 bf(--debug)=em(STRING) Same as bf(-d), limit to messages *em(STRING)*.
119 bf(--dummy) Use dummy terminal mode.
121 bf(--version) Same as bf(-v).
123 bf(--noconnect) Same as bf(-!).
125 bf(--help) Same as bf(-?).
127 bf(--usage) Display very brief usage summary.
130 manpagesection(KEY GENERATION)
131 When generating key pair(s) for silc (bf(-C)), the following extra
134 bf(--pkcs)=em(PKCS) Set the public key algorithm of key pair. For example bf(rsa).
136 bf(--bits)=em(VALUE) Set the length of public key pair, in bits.
139 manpagesection(CONFIGURATION FILE)
140 The bf(silc) configuration file is bf(~/.silc/silc.conf) and can be used
141 to configure the behavriou of the client. The configuration file format
142 is equivalent to Irssi IRC client's configuration file. See the
143 documentation for the configuration file at bf(http://irssi.org).
145 There are a few bf(silc) configuration settings in em(silc.conf) which
146 can be configured in em(settings) section under em("server") block.
147 They can be set also with the bf(/SET) command in the bf(silc) client.
149 bf(crypto_default_cipher)
150 quote(The default cipher to use to secure the session to the server.
151 Values can be for example bf(aes-256-cbc), bf(aes-192-cbc), bf(aes-128-cbc),
152 bf(twofish-256-cbc), bf(twofish-192-cbc), bf(twofish-128-cbc).)
154 bf(crypto_default_hash)
155 quote(The default hash function to use in session with the server. Values
156 can be bf(sha1) or bf(md5).)
158 bf(crypto_default_hmac)
159 quote(The default HMAC to be use in session with the server. Value can
160 be bf(hmac-sha1-96), bf(hmac-md5-96), bf(hmac-sha1) or bf(hmac-md5).)
164 bf(~/.silc/silc.conf)
165 quote(Client's configuration file)
167 bf(~/.silc/public_key.pub)
168 quote(The SILC public key of the user)
170 bf(~/.silc/private_key.pub)
171 quote(The SILC private key of the user)
173 bf(~/.silc/clientkeys/)
174 quote(The directory holding the public keys of other users the user have
175 accepted and trusted in the SILC network. The public keys can be received
176 with bf(GETKEY) SILC command or during key agreement between two users.)
178 bf(~/.silc/clientkeys/)
179 quote(The directory holding the public keys of servers the user have accepted
180 and trusted when connecting to a server.)
183 quote(The directory holding the information of em(friends) that user has.
184 User can create a friend list with bf(WHOIS -details) SILC command. This
185 directory holds the friends' public keys, business cards, pictures, and
190 bf(silcd(8)) bf(silcd.conf(5))
193 manpagesection(NETWORK RESOURCES)
194 Homepage: bf(http://silcnet.org)
196 SILC Client is based on Irssi IRC client: bf(http://irssi.org)
198 User's guide: bf(http://silcnet.org/docs/)
202 SILC is designed and written by Pekka Riikonen <priikone@iki.fi> and rest
205 This manpage was written by Mika 'Bostik' Boström <bostik@lut.fi>
207 See bf(CREDITS) for full list of contributors.