Update of /cvsroot/cryptar/cryptar/doc
In directory sc8-pr-cvs1.sourceforge.net:/tmp/cvs-serv9726/doc
Added Files:
README.txt usage.txt
Log Message:
improve documentation in the hopes that another mortal
might be able to help out
--- NEW FILE: usage.txt ---
CRYPTAR(1)
NAME
cryptar - A cryptographic archiving program
SYNOPSIS
cryptar [options] patterns
DESCRIPTION
This manual page documents cryptar, a cryptographic backup
program that does not trust its repository to be sufficiently
secure to prevent intruders reading or even modifying the data
it stores. It can prevent the first and detect the second.
Nothing (possible) can prevent the store from losing or
modifying the data stored, but these events can at least be
detected.
Cryptar is an implementation of the cryptar algorithm, which in turn
is based on the rsync algorithm. By propitious use of a split
database, it stores backup data on a remote server in encrypted form,
maintaining sufficient signature information in the local database
that it can compute efficient differences between the current versions
of files and their previously backed up versions.
In doing so it avoids the need to trust the remote database beyond the
hope that data stored there will be saved and returned. It is able to
guarantee, however, that data returned is legitimate and unmodified.
No unencrypted data leaves the client for the server.
OPTIONS
--archive=name, -a name
archive files to archive name
--create=name, -c name
create a new archive called name
--extract-name, -x name
extract files from archive name
--list=name, -t name
list files in archive name
--ping, -p
ping a remote server
--verbose=num, -v num
be more verbose, num is the bitwise or of one or more
of these:
1=files, 2=protocol, 4=IO, 8=IO summary
16=flow, 32=detail flow, 64=DB
--dry-run, -n
don't actually do anything
--daemon
run as a server (block store)
--help, -h
display a helpful message
--selftest
test the protocol and some internal functions, only
available if MAINTAINER_MODE is set to non-zero at
compile time
SETUP
You must create a file called $HOME/.cryptar to specify the
archives you know about. This should change and become
automated as a part of the --create option.
An archive specification includes the directories to backup as
well as the host to which to back it up. Thus, in usage, one
need merely state the archive to use. What to backup (or
restore) and where it is stored remotely is determined from
the local database.
EXAMPLES
Note that pattern matching (the final arguments to cryptar) is
not well implemented yet. In some cases it's not implemented
at all. This should change soon...
To archive some files as configured in a database called
work-files:
cryptar --archive=work-files
To see what's in the databse:
cryptar --list=work-files
To restore those files again:
cryptar --extract=work-files
FILES
$HOME/cryptar/
Directory for local databases. If this goes away,
there is no recovery.
$HOME/.cryptar
Configuration file, probably will get wrapped into
--create and the local database.
BUGS
This software is early beta. It has many bugs. The object
serialization and network protocol standards may change
without notice as it becomes more stable. This means you can
use it, but at your own risk and with the understanding that
your current archive may not be accessible by a future version
of cryptar.
As cryptar approaches proper release, we will implement
backward compatibility from that point forward.
In addition, it may not even work as advertised.
Please help: report bugs or help with development.
See the file README.code.txt in the source distribution.
AUTHOR
Written by Jeff Abrahamson
REPORTING BUGS
Report bugs to <je...@pu...>
COPYRIGHT
Copyright © 2004 Jeff Abrahamson
This is free software; see the source for copying conditions. There is
NO warranty; not even for MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR
PURPOSE.
SEE ALSO
J. Abrahamson, A. J. O'Donnell,Cryptar: Secure, Untrustful,
Differencing Backup, NordU/usenix conference, Copenhagen,
Denmark, January 31 - February 1, 2004.
--- NEW FILE: README.txt ---
The documents in this folder should surely be converted to a better
form (docbook?) that can generate the various forms that would be nice
to have (man, info, html, etc.).
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