SYNOPSIS
     ssh-agent command args ...
     ssh-agent [-c | -s]
     ssh-agent -k

DESCRIPTION
     ssh-agent is a program to hold private keys used for  public
key authentiM--
     cation (RSA, DSA).  The idea is that ssh-agent is started in
the beginM--
     ning of an X-session or a login session, and all other  win-
dows or proM--
     grams  are  started  as  clients  to  the ssh-agent program.
Through use of
     environment variables the agent can be located and automati-
cally used for
     authentication  when  logging  in  to  other  machines using
ssh(1).

     The options are as follows:

     -c      Generate C-shell commands on stdout. This is the de-
fault if SHELL
             looks like it's a csh style of shell.

     -s       Generate  Bourne  shell commands on stdout. This is
the default if
             SHELL does not look like it's a csh style of  shell.

     -k       Kill  the current agent (given by the SSH_AGENT_PID
environment
             variable).

     If a commandline is given, this is executed as a  subprocess
of the agent.
     When the command dies, so does the agent.

     The  agent  initially  does not have any private keys.  Keys
are added using
     ssh-add(1).  When  executed  without  arguments,  ssh-add(1)
adds the
     $HOME/.ssh/identity file.  If the identity has a passphrase,
ssh-add(1)
     asks for the passphrase (using a small  X11  application  if
running under
     X11,  or  from  the terminal if running without X).  It then
sends the idenM--
     tity to the agent.  Several identities can be stored in  the
agent; the
     agent  can  automatically use any of these identities.  ssh-
add -l displays
     the identities currently held by the agent.

let the agent
     start a new subcommand into which some environment variables
are exportM--
     ed,  or  you  let  the agent print the needed shell commands
(either sh(1) or
     csh(1) syntax can be generated) which can be evalled in  the
calling
     shell.   Later ssh(1) looks at these variables and uses them
to establish
     a connection to the agent.

     A    unix-domain    socket     is     created     (/tmp/ssh-
XXXXXXXX/agent.<pid>), and the
     name  of this socket is stored in the SSH_AUTH_SOCK environ-
ment variable.
     The socket is made accessible  only  to  the  current  user.
This method is
     easily  abused by root or another instance of the same user.

     The SSH_AGENT_PID environment  variable  holds  the  agent's
PID.

     The  agent exits automatically when the command given on the
command line
     terminates.

FILES
     $HOME/.ssh/identity
             Contains the protocol version 1  RSA  authentication
identity of
             the  user.  This file should not be readable by any-
one but the usM--
             er.  It is possible to  specify  a  passphrase  when
generating the
             key;  that  passphrase  will  be used to encrypt the
private part of
             this file.  This file is not used by  ssh-agent  but
is normally
             added to the agent using ssh-add(1) at login time.

     $HOME/.ssh/id_dsa
             Contains  the  protocol version 2 DSA authentication
identity of
             the user.

     $HOME/.ssh/id_rsa
             Contains the protocol version 2  RSA  authentication
identity of
             the user.

     /tmp/ssh-XXXXXXXX/agent.<pid>
             Unix-domain  sockets  used to contain the connection

     ated OpenSSH.  Markus Friedl contributed the support for SSH
protocol
     versions 1.5 and 2.0.

SEE ALSO
     ssh(1),  ssh-add(1),  ssh-keygen(1),  sshd(8)

BSD     Experimental                  September     25,      1999
2