Keychain Management Commands

This module describes the commands used to configure keychain management.

For detailed information about keychain management concepts, configuration tasks, and examples, see the Implementing Keychain Management chapter in the System Security Configuration Guide for Cisco NCS 5000 Series Routers.


Note
Currently, only default VRF is supported. VPNv4, VPNv6 and VPN routing and forwarding (VRF) address families will be supported in a future release.

accept-lifetime

To set the time period during which the authentication key on a keychain is received as valid, use the accept-lifetime command in key configuration mode. To revert to the default value, use the no form of this command.

accept-lifetime start-time [duration duration value | infinite | end-time]

no accept-lifetime start-time [duration duration value | infinite | end-time]

Syntax Description

start-time

Start time, in hh:mm:ss day month year format, in which the key becomes valid. The range is from 0:0:0 to 23:59:59.

The range for the number of days of the month is from 1 to 31.

The range for the years is from 1993 to 2035.

duration duration value

(Optional) Determines the lifetime of the key in seconds. The range is from 1-2147483646.

infinite

(Optional) Specifies that the key never expires after it becomes valid.

end-time

(Optional) Time, in hh:mm:ss day month year format, after which the key expires. The range is from 0:0:0 to 23:59:59.

Command Default

None

Command Modes

Key configuration

Command History

Release

Modification

Release 6.0

This command was introduced.

Usage Guidelines

No specific guidelines impact the use of this command.

Task ID

Task ID

Operations

system

read, write

Examples

The following example shows how to use the accept-lifetime command: 


RP/0/RP0/CPU0:router# configure
RP/0/RP0/CPU0:router(config)# key chain isis-keys
RP/0/RP0/CPU0:router(config-isis-keys)# key 8
RP/0/RP0/CPU0:router(config-isis-keys-0x8)# accept-lifetime 1:00:00 June 29 2006 infinite

accept-tolerance

To specify the tolerance or acceptance limit, in seconds, for an accept key that is used by a peer, use the accept-tolerance command in keychain configuration mode. To disable this feature, use the no form of this command.

accept-tolerance [value | infinite]

no accept-tolerance [value | infinite]

Syntax Description

value

(Optional) Tolerance range, in seconds. The range is from 1 to 8640000.

infinite

(Optional) Specifies that the tolerance specification is infinite. The accept key never expires. The tolerance limit of infinite indicates that an accept key is always acceptable and validated when used by a peer.

Command Default

The default value is 0, which is no tolerance.

Command Modes

Keychain configuration

Command History

Release

Modification

Release 6.0

This command was introduced.

Usage Guidelines

If you do not configure the accept-tolerance command, the tolerance value is set to zero.

Even though the key is outside the active lifetime, the key is deemed acceptable as long as it is within the tolerance limit (for example, either prior to the start of the lifetime, or after the end of the lifetime).

Task ID

Task ID

Operations

system

read, write

Examples

The following example shows how to use the accept-tolerance command: 


RP/0/RP0/CPU0:router# configure
RP/0/RP0/CPU0:router(config)# key chain isis-keys
RP/0/RP0/CPU0:router(config-isis-keys)# accept-tolerance infinite

cryptographic-algorithm

To apply the cryptographic algorithm to the packets using the key string configured for the key ID, use the cryptographic-algorithm command in keychain-key configuration mode. To disable this feature, use the no form of this command.

cryptographic-algorithm [ HMAC-MD5 | HMAC-SHA1-12 | HMAC-SHA1-20 | MD5 | SHA-1 | HMAC-SHA-256 | HMAC-SHA1-96 | AES-128-CMAC-96 ]

Syntax Description

HMAC-MD5

Configures HMAC-MD5 as a cryptographic algorithm with a digest size of 16 bytes.

HMAC-SHA1-12

Configures HMAC-SHA1-12 as a cryptographic algorithm with a digest size of 12 bytes.

HMAC-SHA1-20

Configures HMAC-SHA1-20 as a cryptographic algorithm with a digest size of 20 bytes.

MD5

Configures MD5 as a cryptographic algorithm with a digest size of 16 bytes.

SHA-1

Configures SHA-1-20 as a cryptographic algorithm with a digest size of 20 bytes.

HMAC-SHA-256

Configures HMAC-SHA-256 as a cryptographic algorithm with a digest size of 32 bytes.

HMAC-SHA1-96

Configures HMAC-SHA1-96 as a cryptographic algorithm with a digest size of 12 bytes.

AES-128-CMAC-96

Configures AES-128-CMAC as a cryptographic algorithm with a digest size of 12 bytes.

Command Default

No default behavior or values

Command Modes

Keychain-key configuration

Command History

Release

Modification

Release 6.0

This command was introduced.

Release 6.5.1

Support for the following algorithms are added:

  • HMAC-SHA-256

  • HMAC-SHA1-96

  • AES-128-CMAC-96

Usage Guidelines

If you do not specify the cryptographic algorithm, MAC computation and API verification would be invalid.

These protocols support the following cryptographic algorithms:

  • Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) supports only HMAC-MD5, HMAC-SHA1-12, AES-128-CMAC-96 and HMAC-SHA1-96.

  • Intermediate System-to-Intermediate System (IS-IS) supports HMAC-MD5, SHA-1, MD5, AES-128-CMAC-96, HMAC-SHA-256, HMAC-SHA1-12, HMAC-SHA1-20, and HMAC-SHA1-96.

  • Open Shortest Path First (OSPF) supports MD5, HMAC-MD5, HMAC-SHA-256, HMAC-SHA1-12, HMAC-SHA1-20, and HMAC-SHA1-96.

Task ID

Task ID

Operations

system

read, write

Examples

The following example shows how to use the cryptographic-algorithm command: 


RP/0/RP0/CPU0:router# configure
RP/0/RP0/CPU0:router(config)# key chain isis-keys
RP/0/RP0/CPU0:router(config-isis-keys)# key 8
RP/0/RP0/CPU0:router(config-isis-keys-0x8)# cryptographic-algorithm HMAC-MD5

key (key chain)

To create or modify a keychain key, use the key command in keychain-key configuration mode. To disable this feature, use the no form of this command.

key key-id

no key key-id

Syntax Description

key-id

48-bit integer key identifier of from 0 to 281474976710655.

Command Default

No default behavior or values

Command Modes

Keychain-key configuration

Command History

Release

Modification

Release 6.0

This command was introduced.

Usage Guidelines

For a Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) keychain configuration, the range for the key-id argument must be from 0 to 63. If the range is above the value of 63, the BGP keychain operation is rejected.

Task ID

Task ID

Operations

system

read, write

Examples

The following example shows how to use the key command: 


RP/0/RP0/CPU0:router# configure
RP/0/RP0/CPU0:router(config)# key chain isis-keys
RP/0/RP0/CPU0:router(config-isis-keys)# key 8
RP/0/RP0/CPU0:router(config-isis-keys-0x8)#

key chain (key chain)

To create or modify a keychain, use the key chain command . To disable this feature, use the no form of this command.

key chain key-chain-name

no key chain key-chain-name

Syntax Description

key-chain-name

Specifies the name of the keychain. The maximum number of characters is 48.

Command Default

No default behavior or values

Command Modes

XR Config mode

Command History

Release

Modification

Release 6.0

This command was introduced.

Usage Guidelines

You can configure a keychain for Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) as a neighbor, session group, or neighbor group. BGP can use the keychain to implement a hitless key rollover for authentication.

Task ID

Task ID

Operations

system

read, write

Examples

The following example shows that the name of the keychain isis-keys is for the key chain command: 


RP/0/RP0/CPU0:router# configure
RP/0/RP0/CPU0:router(config)# key chain isis-keys
RP/0/RP0/CPU0:router(config-isis-keys)#

key-string (keychain)

To specify the text string for the key, use the key-string command in keychain-key configuration mode. To disable this feature, use the no form of this command.

key-string [clear | password] key-string-text

no key-string [clear | password] key-string-text

Syntax Description

clear

Specifies the key string in clear-text form.

password

Specifies the key in encrypted form.

key-string-text

Text string for the key, which is encrypted by the parser process before being saved to the configuration. The text string has the following character limitations:

  • Plain-text key strings—Minimum of 1 character and a maximum of 32.

  • Encrypted key strings—Minimum of 4 characters and no maximum.

Command Default

The default value is clear.

Command Modes

Keychain-key configuration

Command History

Release

Modification

Release 6.0

This command was introduced.

Usage Guidelines

For an encrypted password to be valid, the following statements must be true:

  • String must contain an even number of characters, with a minimum of four.

  • The first two characters in the password string must be decimal numbers and the rest must be hexadecimals.

  • The first two digits must not be a number greater than 53.

Either of the following examples would be valid encrypted passwords:

1234abcd

or

50aefd

From Cisco IOS XR Software Release 7.1.2, Release 7.2.1 and later, if you are using any HMAC-SHA algorithm for a session, then you must ensure that the configured key-string has a minimum length of 14 characters. Otherwise, the session goes down. This guideline is applicable only for FIPS mode.

Task ID

Task ID

Operations

system

read, write

Examples

The following example shows how to use the keystring command: 


RP/0/RP0/CPU0:router:# configure
RP/0/RP0/CPU0:router(config)# key chain isis-keys
RP/0/RP0/CPU0:router(config-isis-keys)# key 8
RP/0/RP0/CPU0:router(config-isis-keys-0x8)# key-string password 850aefd

send-lifetime

To send the valid key and to authenticate information from the local host to the peer, use the send-lifetime command in keychain-key configuration mode. To disable this feature, use the no form of this command.

send-lifetime start-time [duration duration value | infinite | end-time]

no send-lifetime start-time [duration duration value | infinite | end-time]

Syntax Description

start-time

Start time, in hh:mm:ss day month year format, in which the key becomes valid. The range is from 0:0:0 to 23:59:59.

The range for the number of days of the month to start is from 1 to 31.

The range for the years is from 1993 to 2035.

duration duration value

(Optional) Determines the lifetime of the key in seconds.

infinite

(Optional) Specifies that the key never expires once it becomes valid.

end-time

(Optional) Time, in hh:mm:ss day month year format, after which the key expires. The range is from 0:0:0 to 23:59:59

Command Default

No default behavior or values

Command Modes

Keychain-key configuration

Command History

Release

Modification

Release 6.0

This command was introduced.

Usage Guidelines

No specific guidelines impact the use of this command.

Task ID

Task ID

Operations

system

read, write

Examples

The following example shows how to use the send-lifetime command: 


RP/0/RP0/CPU0:router# configure
RP/0/RP0/CPU0:router(config)# key chain isis-keys
RP/0/RP0/CPU0:router(config-isis-keys)# key 8
RP/0/RP0/CPU0:router(config-isis-keys-0x8)# send-lifetime 1:00:00 June 29 2006 infinite

show key chain

To display the keychain, use the show key chain command.

show key chain key-chain-name

Syntax Description

key-chain-name

Names of the keys in the specified keychain. The maximum number of characters is 32.

Command Default

If the command is used without any parameters, then it lists out all the key chains.

Command Modes

XR EXEC mode

Command History

Release

Modification

Release 6.0

This command was introduced.

Usage Guidelines

No specific guidelines impact the use of this command.

Task ID

Task ID

Operations

system

read

Examples

When a secure key storage becomes available, it is desirable for keychain management to alternatively prompt you for a primary password and display the key label after decryption. The following example displays only the encrypted key label for the show key chain command: 


RP/0/RP0/CPU0:router# show key chain isis-keys

Key-chain: isis-keys/ -

accept-tolerance -- infinite
Key 8 -- text "8"
  cryptographic-algorithm -- MD5
  Send lifetime:   01:00:00, 29 Jun 2006 - Always valid  [Valid now]
  Accept lifetime: 01:00:00, 29 Jun 2006 - Always valid [Valid now]