File: gnupg.info,  Node: gpg-wks-client,  Next: gpg-wks-server,  Up: Web Key Service

11.1 Send requests via WKS
==========================

The 'gpg-wks-client' is used to send requests to a Web Key Service
provider.  This is usually done to upload a key into a Web Key
Directory.

   With the '--supported' command the caller can test whether a site
supports the Web Key Service.  The argument is an arbitrary address in
the to be tested domain.  For example 'foo@example.net'.  The command
returns success if the Web Key Service is supported.  The operation is
silent; to get diagnostic output use the option '--verbose'.  See option
'--with-colons' for a variant of this command.

   With the '--check' command the caller can test whether a key exists
for a supplied mail address.  The command returns success if a key is
available.

   The '--create' command is used to send a request for publication in
the Web Key Directory.  The arguments are the fingerprint of the key and
the user id to publish.  The output from the command is a properly
formatted mail with all standard headers.  This mail can be fed to
'sendmail(8)' or any other tool to actually send that mail.  If
'sendmail(8)' is installed the option '--send' can be used to directly
send the created request.  If the provider request a 'mailbox-only' user
id and no such user id is found, 'gpg-wks-client' will try an additional
user id.

   The '--receive' and '--read' commands are used to process
confirmation mails as send from the service provider.  The former
expects an encrypted MIME messages, the latter an already decrypted MIME
message.  The result of these commands are another mail which can be
send in the same way as the mail created with '--create'.

   The command '--install-key' manually installs a key into a local
directory (see option '-C') reflecting the structure of a WKD. The
arguments are a file with the keyblock and the user-id to install.  If
the first argument resembles a fingerprint the key is taken from the
current keyring; to force the use of a file, prefix the first argument
with "./".  If no arguments are given the parameters are read from
stdin; the expected format are lines with the fingerprint and the
mailbox separated by a space.  The command '--remove-key' removes a key
from that directory, its only argument is a user-id.

   The command '--mirror' is similar to '--install-key' but takes the
keys from the the LDAP server configured for Dirmngr.  If no arguments
are given all keys and user ids are installed.  If arguments are given
they are taken as domain names to limit the to be installed keys.  The
option '--blacklist' may be used to further limit the to be installed
keys.

   The command '--print-wkd-hash' prints the WKD user-id identifiers and
the corresponding mailboxes from the user-ids given on the command line
or via stdin (one user-id per line).

   The command '--print-wkd-url' prints the URLs used to fetch the key
for the given user-ids from WKD. The meanwhile preferred format with
sub-domains is used here.

   All commands may also be given without the two leading dashes.

'gpg-wks-client' understands these options:

'--send'
     Directly send created mails using the 'sendmail' command.  Requires
     installation of that command.

'--with-colons'
     This option has currently only an effect on the '--supported'
     command.  If it is used all arguments on the command line are taken
     as domain names and tested for WKD support.  The output format is
     one line per domain with colon delimited fields.  The currently
     specified fields are (future versions may specify additional
     fields):

     1 - domain
          This is the domain name.  Although quoting is not required for
          valid domain names this field is specified to be quoted in
          standard C manner.

     2 - WKD
          If the value is true the domain supports the Web Key
          Directory.

     3 - WKS
          If the value is true the domain supports the Web Key Service
          protocol to upload keys to the directory.

     4 - error-code
          This may contain an gpg-error code to describe certain
          failures.  Use 'gpg-error CODE' to explain the code.

     5 - protocol-version
          The minimum protocol version supported by the server.

     6 - auth-submit
          The auth-submit flag from the policy file of the server.

     7 - mailbox-only
          The mailbox-only flag from the policy file of the server.

'--output FILE'
'-o'
     Write the created mail to FILE instead of stdout.  Note that the
     value '-' for FILE is the same as writing to stdout.  If this
     option is used with the '--check' command and a key was found it is
     written to the given file.

'--status-fd N'
     Write special status strings to the file descriptor N.  This
     program returns only the status messages SUCCESS or FAILURE which
     are helpful when the caller uses a double fork approach and can't
     easily get the return code of the process.

'-C DIR'
'--directory DIR'
     Use DIR as top level directory for the commands '--mirror',
     '--install-key' and '--remove-key'.  The default is 'openpgpkey'.

'--blacklist FILE'
     This option is used to exclude certain mail addresses from a mirror
     operation.  The format of FILE is one mail address (just the
     addrspec, e.g.  "postel@isi.edu") per line.  Empty lines and lines
     starting with a '#' are ignored.

'--add-revocs'
'--no-add-revocs'
     If enabled append revocation certificates for the same addrspec as
     used in the WKD to the key.  Modern gpg version are able to import
     and apply them for existing keys.  Note that when used with the
     '--mirror' command the revocation are searched in the local keyring
     and not in an LDAP directory.  The default is '--add-revocs'.

'--verbose'
     Enable extra informational output.

'--quiet'
     Disable almost all informational output.

'--version'
     Print version of the program and exit.

'--help'
     Display a brief help page and exit.


Examples
********

To use the services with clients lacking integrated support, the mailcap
mechanism can be used.  Simply put:
     application/vnd.gnupg.wks; \
       /usr/local/bin/gpg-wks-client -v --read --send; \
       needsterminal; \
       description=WKS message
   into the '/etc/mailcap'.  This assumes that a /usr/lib/sendmail is
installed.  With this configuration any real mail programs will run
gpg-wks-client for messages received from a Web Key Service.