1 This document describes the multiplexing protocol used by ssh(1)'s 2 ControlMaster connection-sharing. 3 4 Most messages from the client to the server contain a "request id" field. 5 This field is returned in replies as "client request id" to facilitate 6 matching of responses to requests. 7 8 1. Connection setup 9 10 When a multiplexing connection is made to a ssh(1) operating as a 11 ControlMaster from a ssh(1) in multiplex slave mode, the first 12 action of each is to exchange hello messages: 13 14 uint32 MUX_MSG_HELLO 15 uint32 protocol version 16 string extension name [optional] 17 string extension value [optional] 18 ... 19 20 The current version of the mux protocol is 4. A slave should refuse 21 to connect to a master that speaks an unsupported protocol version. 22 Following the version identifier are zero or more extensions 23 represented as a name/value pair. No extensions are currently 24 defined. 25 26 2. Opening sessions 27 28 To open a new multiplexed session, a client may send the following 29 request: 30 31 uint32 MUX_C_NEW_SESSION 32 uint32 request id 33 string reserved 34 bool want tty flag 35 bool want X11 forwarding flag 36 bool want agent flag 37 bool subsystem flag 38 uint32 escape char 39 string terminal type 40 string command 41 string environment string 0 [optional] 42 ... 43 44 To disable the use of an escape character, "escape char" may be set 45 to 0xffffffff. "terminal type" is generally set to the value of 46 $TERM. zero or more environment strings may follow the command. 47 48 The client then sends its standard input, output and error file 49 descriptors (in that order) using Unix domain socket control messages. 50 51 The contents of "reserved" are currently ignored. 52 53 If successful, the server will reply with MUX_S_SESSION_OPENED 54 55 uint32 MUX_S_SESSION_OPENED 56 uint32 client request id 57 uint32 session id 58 59 Otherwise it will reply with an error: MUX_S_PERMISSION_DENIED or 60 MUX_S_FAILURE. 61 62 Once the server has received the fds, it will respond with MUX_S_OK 63 indicating that the session is up. The client now waits for the 64 session to end. When it does, the server will send an exit status 65 message: 66 67 uint32 MUX_S_EXIT_MESSAGE 68 uint32 session id 69 uint32 exit value 70 71 The client should exit with this value to mimic the behaviour of a 72 non-multiplexed ssh(1) connection. Two additional cases that the 73 client must cope with are it receiving a signal itself and the 74 server disconnecting without sending an exit message. 75 76 A master may also send a MUX_S_TTY_ALLOC_FAIL before MUX_S_EXIT_MESSAGE 77 if remote TTY allocation was unsuccessful. The client may use this to 78 return its local tty to "cooked" mode. 79 80 uint32 MUX_S_TTY_ALLOC_FAIL 81 uint32 session id 82 83 3. Health checks 84 85 The client may request a health check/PID report from a server: 86 87 uint32 MUX_C_ALIVE_CHECK 88 uint32 request id 89 90 The server replies with: 91 92 uint32 MUX_S_ALIVE 93 uint32 client request id 94 uint32 server pid 95 96 4. Remotely terminating a master 97 98 A client may request that a master terminate immediately: 99 100 uint32 MUX_C_TERMINATE 101 uint32 request id 102 103 The server will reply with one of MUX_S_OK or MUX_S_PERMISSION_DENIED. 104 105 5. Requesting establishment of port forwards 106 107 A client may request the master to establish a port forward: 108 109 uint32 MUX_C_OPEN_FWD 110 uint32 request id 111 uint32 forwarding type 112 string listen host 113 string listen port 114 string connect host 115 string connect port 116 117 forwarding type may be MUX_FWD_LOCAL, MUX_FWD_REMOTE, MUX_FWD_DYNAMIC. 118 119 A server may reply with a MUX_S_OK, a MUX_S_REMOTE_PORT, a 120 MUX_S_PERMISSION_DENIED or a MUX_S_FAILURE. 121 122 For dynamically allocated listen port the server replies with 123 124 uint32 MUX_S_REMOTE_PORT 125 uint32 client request id 126 uint32 allocated remote listen port 127 128 6. Requesting closure of port forwards 129 130 Note: currently unimplemented (server will always reply with MUX_S_FAILURE). 131 132 A client may request the master to close a port forward: 133 134 uint32 MUX_C_CLOSE_FWD 135 uint32 request id 136 string listen host 137 string listen port 138 string connect host 139 string connect port 140 141 A server may reply with a MUX_S_OK, a MUX_S_PERMISSION_DENIED or a 142 MUX_S_FAILURE. 143 144 7. Requesting stdio forwarding 145 146 A client may request the master to establish a stdio forwarding: 147 148 uint32 MUX_C_NEW_STDIO_FWD 149 uint32 request id 150 string reserved 151 string connect host 152 string connect port 153 154 The client then sends its standard input and output file descriptors 155 (in that order) using Unix domain socket control messages. 156 157 The contents of "reserved" are currently ignored. 158 159 A server may reply with a MUX_S_SESSION_OPENED, a MUX_S_PERMISSION_DENIED 160 or a MUX_S_FAILURE. 161 162 8. Requesting shutdown of mux listener 163 164 A client may request the master to stop accepting new multiplexing requests 165 and remove its listener socket. 166 167 uint32 MUX_C_STOP_LISTENING 168 uint32 request id 169 170 A server may reply with a MUX_S_OK, a MUX_S_PERMISSION_DENIED or a 171 MUX_S_FAILURE. 172 173 9. Status messages 174 175 The MUX_S_OK message is empty: 176 177 uint32 MUX_S_OK 178 uint32 client request id 179 180 The MUX_S_PERMISSION_DENIED and MUX_S_FAILURE include a reason: 181 182 uint32 MUX_S_PERMISSION_DENIED 183 uint32 client request id 184 string reason 185 186 uint32 MUX_S_FAILURE 187 uint32 client request id 188 string reason 189 190 10. Protocol numbers 191 192 #define MUX_MSG_HELLO 0x00000001 193 #define MUX_C_NEW_SESSION 0x10000002 194 #define MUX_C_ALIVE_CHECK 0x10000004 195 #define MUX_C_TERMINATE 0x10000005 196 #define MUX_C_OPEN_FWD 0x10000006 197 #define MUX_C_CLOSE_FWD 0x10000007 198 #define MUX_C_NEW_STDIO_FWD 0x10000008 199 #define MUX_C_STOP_LISTENING 0x10000009 200 #define MUX_S_OK 0x80000001 201 #define MUX_S_PERMISSION_DENIED 0x80000002 202 #define MUX_S_FAILURE 0x80000003 203 #define MUX_S_EXIT_MESSAGE 0x80000004 204 #define MUX_S_ALIVE 0x80000005 205 #define MUX_S_SESSION_OPENED 0x80000006 206 #define MUX_S_REMOTE_PORT 0x80000007 207 #define MUX_S_TTY_ALLOC_FAIL 0x80000008 208 209 #define MUX_FWD_LOCAL 1 210 #define MUX_FWD_REMOTE 2 211 #define MUX_FWD_DYNAMIC 3 212 213 XXX TODO 214 XXX extended status (e.g. report open channels / forwards) 215 XXX lock (maybe) 216 XXX watch in/out traffic (pre/post crypto) 217 XXX inject packet (what about replies) 218 XXX server->client error/warning notifications 219 XXX send signals via mux 220 221 $OpenBSD: PROTOCOL.mux,v 1.7 2011/05/08 12:52:01 djm Exp $ 222
