makekey(1)                                                makekey(1)


       NAME
             makekey - generate encryption key

       SYNOPSIS
             /usr/lib/makekey

       DESCRIPTION
             makekey improves the usefulness of encryption schemes
             depending on a key by increasing the amount of time required
             to search the key space.  It attempts to read eight bytes for
             its key (the first eight input bytes), then it attempts to
             read two bytes for its salt (the last two input bytes).  The
             output depends on the input in a way intended to be difficult
             to compute (that is, to require a substantial fraction of a
             second).

             The first eight input bytes (the input key) can be arbitrary
             ASCII characters.  The last two (the salt) are best chosen
             from the set of digits, ., /, and upper- and lower-case
             letters.  The salt characters are repeated as the first two
             characters of the output.  The remaining 11 output characters
             are chosen from the same set as the salt and constitute the
             output key.

             The transformation performed is essentially the following: the
             salt is used to select one of 4,096 cryptographic machines all
             based on the National Bureau of Standards DES algorithm, but
             broken in 4,096 different ways.  Using the input key as key, a
             constant string is fed into the machine and recirculated a
             number of times.  The 64 bits that come out are distributed
             into the 66 output key bits in the result.

             makekey is intended for programs that perform encryption.
             Usually, its input and output will be pipes.

       REFERENCES
             crypt(1), ed(1), passwd(4), vi(1)

       NOTICES
             makekey can produce different results depending upon whether
             the input is typed at the terminal or redirected from a file.

             This command is provided with the Encryption Utilities, which
             is only available in the United States.




                           Copyright 1994 Novell, Inc.               Page 1