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
     reads 10 bytes from its standard input, and writes 13 bytes on its
     standard output.  The output depends on the input in a way intended to be
     difficult to compute (i.e., 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.

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

SEE ALSO
     ed(1), crypt(1), vi(1), passwd(4)


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