NAME¶

DH_generate_parameters, DH_check - generate and check Diffie-Hellman parameters

SYNOPSIS¶

 #include <openssl/dh.h>
 DH *DH_generate_parameters(int prime_len, int generator,
     void (*callback)(int, int, void *), void *cb_arg);
 int DH_check(DH *dh, int *codes);

DESCRIPTION¶

DH_generate_parameters() generates Diffie-Hellman parameters that can be shared among a group of users, and returns them in a newly allocated DH structure. The pseudo-random number generator must be seeded prior to calling DH_generate_parameters().

prime_len is the length in bits of the safe prime to be generated. generator is a small number > 1, typically 2 or 5.

A callback function may be used to provide feedback about the progress of the key generation. If callback is not NULL, it will be called as described in BN_generate_prime(3) while a random prime number is generated, and when a prime has been found, callback(3, 0, cb_arg) is called.

DH_check() validates Diffie-Hellman parameters. It checks that p is a safe prime, and that g is a suitable generator. In the case of an error, the bit flags DH_CHECK_P_NOT_SAFE_PRIME or DH_NOT_SUITABLE_GENERATOR are set in *codes. DH_UNABLE_TO_CHECK_GENERATOR is set if the generator cannot be checked, i.e. it does not equal 2 or 5.

RETURN VALUES¶

DH_generate_parameters() returns a pointer to the DH structure, or NULL if the parameter generation fails. The error codes can be obtained by ERR_get_error(3).

DH_check() returns 1 if the check could be performed, 0 otherwise.

NOTES¶

DH_generate_parameters() may run for several hours before finding a suitable prime.

The parameters generated by DH_generate_parameters() are not to be used in signature schemes.

BUGS¶

If generator is not 2 or 5, dh->g=generator is not a usable generator.

SEE ALSO¶

dh(3), ERR_get_error(3), rand(3), DH_free(3)

HISTORY¶

DH_check() is available in all versions of SSLeay and OpenSSL. The cb_arg argument to DH_generate_parameters() was added in SSLeay 0.9.0.

In versions before OpenSSL 0.9.5, DH_CHECK_P_NOT_STRONG_PRIME is used instead of DH_CHECK_P_NOT_SAFE_PRIME.