---
name: "tcsd"
section: "8"
platform: "linux"
package: "trousers"
version: "0.3.15-0.4"
release: "Debian 13 (Trixie)"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/tcsd"
---

# tcsd(8)

daemon that manages Trusted Computing resources

TCG Software Stack

## NAME

tcsd - daemon that manages Trusted Computing resources

## SYNOPSIS

**tcsd** \[**-f**\] \[**-e**\] \[**-c \<configfile\> \]** \[**-h**\]

## DESCRIPTION

Trousers is an open-source TCG Software Stack (TSS), released under the BSD License. Trousers aims to be compliant with the current (1.1b) and  upcoming (1.2) TSS specifications available from the Trusted Computing Group  website: http://www.trustedcomputinggroup.org.

**tcsd** is a user space daemon that should be (according to the TSS spec) the only portal to the TPM device driver. At boot time, **tcsd** should  be started, it should open the TPM device driver and from that point on, all  requests to the TPM should go through the TSS stack. The **tcsd** manages TPM resources and handles requests from TSP's both local and remote.

- **-f, --foreground**

  run the daemon in the foreground

- **-e**

  attempt to connect to software TPMs over TCP

- **-c, --config \<configfile\>**

  use the provided configuration file rather than the default configuration file

- **-h, --help**

  display help message

## ACCESS CONTROL

There are two types of access control for the **tcsd**, access to the daemon's socket itself and access to specific commands internal to the **tcsd**. Access to the **tcsd**'s port should be controlled by the system administrator using firewall rules.  If using iptables, the following rule will allow a specific host access to the tcsd:

\# iptables -A INPUT -s $IP\_ADDRESS -p tcp --destination-port 30003 -j ACCEPT

Access to individual commands internal to the tcsd is configured by the **tcsd** configuration file's "remote\_ops" directive. Each function call in the TCS API is reachable by a unique ordinal.  Each labeled "remote op" actually defines a set of ordinals (usually more than one) necessary to accomplish the operation. So, for example, the "random" operation enables the ordinals for opening and closing a context, calling TCS\_StirRandom and TCS\_GetRandom, as well as TCS\_FreeMemory. By default, connections from localhost will allow any ordinals.

## DATA FILES

TSS applications have access to 2 different kinds of 'persistent' storage. 'User'  persistent storage has the lifetime of that of the application using it  and therefore is destroyed when an application exits.  User PS is controlled  by the TSP of the application.  'System' persistent storage is controlled by  the TCS and stays valid across application lifetimes, **tcsd** restarts and  system resets. Data registered in system PS stays valid until an application  requests that it be removed. User PS files are by default stored as  /var/tpm/user.{pid} and the system PS file by default is /var/tpm/system.data.  The system PS file is initially created when ownership of the TPM is first  taken.

## CONFIGURATION

**tcsd** configuration is stored by default in /etc/tcsd.conf

## DEBUG OUTPUT

If TrouSerS has been compiled with debugging enabled, the debugging output can be supressed by setting the TSS\_DEBUG\_OFF environment variable.

## DEVICE DRIVERS

**tcsd** is compatible with the IBM Research TPM device driver available from http://ibmswtpm.sourceforge.net/ and the TPM device driver available from http://sf.net/projects/tpmdd, which is also available in the upstream Linux kernel and many Linux distros.

## CONFORMING TO

**tcsd** conforms to the Trusted Computing Group Software Specification version 1.1 Golden

## SEE ALSO

[**tcsd.conf**(5)](/tcsd.conf/5.md)

## AUTHOR

Kent Yoder

## REPORTING BUGS

Report bugs to \<trousers-tech@lists.sf.net\>