Switch OpenLDAP from NSS to OpenSSL
Overview
Currently, OpenLDAP in Fedora is compiled with NSS for cypto. This document describes a way to let the OpenLDAP be compiled with OpenSSL, instead.
Reasons
OpenLDAP in Fedora is has been compiled with NSS for crypto for several years now. Support layer for NSS was added back in 2008 but the OpenLDAP upstream ceased to keep it up to date since 2014. Reasons for keeping OpenLDAP compiled with NSS was to make it work with some other packages (esp. 389DS) seamlessly. Fixing and keeping downstream patches has become a burden, thus it was decided to switch to OpenSSL, instead.
Dependents
389DS
Upstream patch that mirrors certificates to PEM files so that OpenSSL-built OpenLDAP library may be used, is supported since version 389-ds-base-1.3.5
.
See the design document.
FreeIPA
BuildRequires: openldap-devel Requires: openldap-clients
SSSD
BuildRequires: openldap-devel
dhcpd
BuildRequires: openldap-devel
python-ldap
BuildRequires: openldap-devel
Uses OpenSSL for TLS, so maybe not a problem?
others
TODO
Schedule
Prerequisities
- Finish this design.
- Discuss with closely related teams (389DS - done, SSSD, FreeIPA).
- Reach out to the Fedora community with a request for comments, especialy those that Require or BuildRequire OpenLDAP.
Test Day
TODO
Fedora 26
- Land the OpenSSL-built OpenLDAP. This should include the #Interception code with
X_MOZNSS_COMPATIBILITY
set on by default. - Include a deprecation warning.
Fedora 27
- Turn the #Interception code off by default, still being able to enable it with the
X_MOZNSS_COMPATIBILITY
.
Fedora 28
- Drop the #Interception code patching entirely. All packages should be already fully functional with OpenSSL-built OpenLDAP not supporting NSS-specific functionality.
- Drop the deprecation warning.
Implementation
The code handling possible NSS-specific configuration (#Interception code) should handle all possible use-cases (libldap, openldap-clients and openldap-servers packages). Briefly, the code should make usage of both, OpenSSL-specific and NSS-specific, configurations seamless with no more than setting the X_MOZNSS_COMPATIBILITY
option on.
Build
Will build with ./configure --with-tls=openssl
, dropping --with-tls=moznss
. Also, NSS libs will be needed to be included so that the #Interception code works.
Interception code
Enabling
A yes
/no
options LDAP_OPT_X_MOZNSS_COMPATIBILITY
(libldap), X_MOZNSS_COMPATIBILIY
(ldap.conf, slapd.conf), and olcMozNSSCompatibility
(slapd-config) may be used to explicitly set whether the #Interception code will be used.
Implementation
After parsing user options change these accordingly:
- keep
CACERT
as set - if
CACERTDIR
is NSSDB then- if NSSDB is pin-protected then
- unlock the DB using
KEY
- unlock the DB using
- extract all CA certs to
ca.pem
- extract all CA certs from
(DEFAULT_)MOZNSS_DIR
environment variable to(default_)moznss_dir.pem
- extract user cert and key to
user.pem
- get the randomly pre-generated DH params from NSSDB and put it into
DHParamFile
- update options so that they work for OpenSSL
- if NSSDB is pin-protected then
- go on
Considerations
PEM files location
We should keep the NSSDB in place, while creating a directory with the same owner and permissions for storing the extracted PEM files. If the directory cannot be created, we should temporarily put these to a tempdir (in /tmp
).
CRLCheck and CRLFile options
NSS uses CRLFILE
option only, whereas OpenSSL uses CRLCHECK
bool.
NSS still used
Even though temporarily, NSS library is still used possibly causing some (although few) troubles.
Testing
Areas
Interception code functionality
Basic self-signed ca cert and user cert/key
TODO
With self-signed cert chain
TODO
Regressions
TODO
Dependent packages' tests
TODO
Testing Day(s)
TODO
Pitfalls
Downgrade
Will not be supported automatically. We should provide steps how to revert to NSSDB having OpenSSL-like configuration in place.
Mixed configuration options have undefined behaviour
If both, OpenSSL-like and NSS-like, configurations are used for various configuration parameters at the same time then the behaviour SHOULD not be destructive but it is undefined.