---
name: "ipsec_manual"
section: "8"
platform: "linux"
package: "openswan"
version: "1:2.4.12+dfsg-1.3+lenny4"
release: "Debian 5.0 (Lenny)"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/ipsec_manual"
---

# ipsec\_manual(8)

take manually-keyed IPsec connections up and down

## NAME

ipsec manual - take manually-keyed IPsec connections up and down

## SYNOPSIS

**ipsec** *manual* \[--show\] \[--showonly\] \[--other\] \[--iam *address@interface*\] \[--config *configfile*\] *operation*

**ipsec** *manual* \[*options*\] --union *operation\_part*...

## DESCRIPTION

*Manual* manipulates manually-keyed Openswan IPsec connections, setting them up and shutting them down, based on the information in the IPsec configuration file. Normally, manually keyed connections should not be used - automatic keying connections In the normal usage, *connection* is the name of a connection specification in the configuration file; *operation* is **--up**, **--down**, **--route**, or **--unroute**. *Manual* generates setup (**--route** or **--up**) or teardown (**--down** or **--unroute**) commands for the connection and feeds them to a shell for execution.

The **--up** operation brings the specified connection up, including establishing a suitable route for it if necessary.

The **--route** operation just establishes the route for a connection. Unless and until an **--up** operation is done, packets routed by that route will simply be discarded.

The **--down** operation tears the specified connection down, *except* that it leaves the route in place. Unless and until an **--unroute** operation is done, packets routed by that route will simply be discarded. This permits establishing another connection to the same destination without any “window” in which packets can pass without encryption.

The **--unroute** operation (and only the **--unroute** operation) deletes any route established for a connection.

In the **--union** usage, each *part* is the name of a partial connection specification in the configuration file, and the union of all the partial specifications is the connection specification used. The effect is as if the contents of the partial specifications were concatenated together; restrictions on duplicate parameters, etc., do apply to the result. (The same effect can now be had, more gracefully, using the *also* parameter in connection descriptions; see [**ipsec.conf**(5)](/ipsec.conf/5.md) for details.)

The **--show** option turns on the **-x** option of the shell used to execute the commands, so each command is shown as it is executed.

The **--showonly** option causes *manual* to show the commands it would run, on standard output, and not run them.

The **--other** option causes *manual* to pretend it is the other end of the connection. This is probably not useful except in combination with **--showonly**.

The **--iam** option causes *manual* to believe it is running on the host with the specified IP *address*, and that it should use the specified *interface* (normally it determines all this automatically, based on what IPsec interfaces are up and how they are configured).

The **--config** option specifies a non-standard location for the */etc/ipsec.conf*) file.

See [**ipsec.conf**(5)](/ipsec.conf/5.md) for details of the configuration file. Apart from the basic parameters which specify the endpoints and routing of a connection (*left* and *right*, plus possibly *leftsubnet*, *leftnexthop*, *leftfirewall*, their *right* equivalents, and perhaps *type*), a non-*passthrough*  *manual* connection needs an *spi* or *spibase* parameter and some parameters specifying encryption, authentication, or both, most simply *esp*, *espenckey*, and *espauthkey*. Moderately-secure keys can be obtained from [**ipsec\_ranbits**(8)](/ipsec_ranbits/8.md). For production use of manually-keyed connections, it is strongly recommended that the keys be kept in a separate file (with permissions *rw-------*) using the *include* and *also* facilities of the configuration file (see [**ipsec.conf**(5)](/ipsec.conf/5.md)).

If an *spi* parameter is given, *manual* uses that value as the SPI number for all the SAs (which are in separate number spaces anyway). If an *spibase* parameter is given instead, *manual* assigns SPI values by altering the bottom digit of that value; SAs going from left to right get even digits starting at 0, SAs going from right to left get odd digits starting at 1. Either way, it is suggested that manually-keyed connections use three-digit SPIs with the first digit non-zero, i.e. in the range *0x100* through *0xfff*; Openswan reserves those for manual keying and will not attempt to use them for automatic keying (unless requested to, presumably by a non-Openswan other end).

## FILES

/etc/ipsec.conf default IPsec configuration file /var/run/pluto/ipsec.info*%defaultroute* information

## SEE ALSO

[**ipsec**(8)](/ipsec/8.md), ipsec.[**conf**(5)](/conf/5.md), [**ipsec\_spi**(8)](/ipsec_spi/8.md), [**ipsec\_eroute**(8)](/ipsec_eroute/8.md), [**ipsec\_spigrp**(8)](/ipsec_spigrp/8.md), [**route**(8)](/route/8.md)

## HISTORY

Written for the FreeS/WAN project \<http://www.freeswan.org/: *http://www.freeswan.org/*\> by Henry Spencer.

## BUGS

It's not nearly as generous about the syntax of subnets, addresses, etc. as the usual FreeS/WAN user interfaces. Four-component dotted-decimal must be used for all addresses. It *is* smart enough to translate bit-count netmasks to dotted-decimal form.

If the connection specification for a connection is changed between an **--up** and the ensuing **--down**, chaos may ensue.

The **--up** operation is not smart enough to notice whether the connection is already up.

*Manual* is not smart enough to reject insecure combinations of algorithms, e.g. encryption with no authentication at all.

Any non-IPsec route to the other end which is replaced by the **--up** or **--route** operation will not be re-established by **--unroute**. Whether this is a feature or a bug depends on your viewpoint.

The optional parameters which override the automatic *spibase*-based SPI assignment are a messy area of the code and bugs are likely.

“Road warrior” handling, and other special forms of setup which require negotiation between the two security gateways, inherently cannot be done with *manual*.

*Manual* generally lags behind *auto* in support of various features, even when implementation *would* be possible. For example, currently it does not do IPComp content compression.