                                  JSch

                            Java Secure Channel
                     by ymnk@jcraft.com, JCraft,Inc.

                        http://www.jcraft.com/jsch/

Last modified: Thu Mar 18 13:58:16 UTC 2015

Description

JSch is a pure Java implementation of SSH2. JSch allows you to connect to an sshd server and use port forwarding, X11 forwarding, file transfer, etc., and you can integrate its functionality into your own Java programs. JSch is licensed under BSD style license.

Documentation

README files all over the source tree have info related to the stuff in the directories.
ChangeLog: what changed from the previous version?

Directories & Files in the Source Tree

src/com/ has source trees of JSch
example/ has some samples, which demonstrate the usages.
tools/ has scripts for Ant.

Why JSch?

Our intension in developing this stuff is to enable users of our pure java X servers, WiredX(http://wiredx.net/) and WeirdX, to enjoy secure X sessions. Our efforts have mostly targeted the SSH2 protocol in relation to X Window System and X11 forwarding. Of course, we are also interested in adding other functionality - port forward, file transfer, terminal emulation, etc.

Features

JSch is in pure Java, but it depends on JavaTM Cryptography Extension (JCE). JSch is know to work with: o J2SE 1.4.0 or later (no additional libraries required). o J2SE 1.3 and Sun's JCE reference implementation that can be obtained at http://java.sun.com/products/jce/ o J2SE 1.2.2 and later and Bouncycastle's JCE implementation that can be obtained at http://www.bouncycastle.org/
SSH2 protocol support.
Key exchange: diffie-hellman-group-exchange-sha1, diffie-hellman-group1-sha1, diffie-hellman-group14-sha1, diffie-hellman-group-exchange-sha256, ecdh-sha2-nistp256, ecdh-sha2-nistp384, ecdh-sha2-nistp521
Cipher: blowfish-cbc,3des-cbc,aes128-cbc,aes192-cbc,aes256-cbc 3des-ctr,aes128-ctr,aes192-ctr,aes256-ctc, arcfour,arcfour128,arcfour256
MAC: hmac-md5,hmac-md5-96,hmac-sha1,hmac-sha1-96
Host key type: ssh-dss,ssh-rsa, ecdsa-sha2-nistp256,ecdsa-sha2-nistp384,ecdsa-sha2-nistp521
Userauth: password
Userauth: publickey(DSA,RSA,ECDSA)
Userauth: keyboard-interactive
Userauth: gssapi-with-mic
X11 forwarding.
xauth spoofing.
connection through HTTP proxy.
connection through SOCKS5, SOCKS4 proxy.
port forwarding.
stream forwarding.
signal sending. The unofficial patch for sshd of openssh will be find in the thread http://marc.theaimsgroup.com/?l=openssh-unix-dev&m=104295745607575&w=2
envrironment variable passing.
remote exec.
generating DSA and RSA key pairs.
supporting private keys in OpenSSL(traditional SSLeay) and PKCS#8 format.
SSH File Transfer Protocol(version 0, 1, 2, 3)
partial authentication
packet compression: zlib, zlib@openssh.com JZlib(http://www.jcraft.com/jzlib/) has been used.
hashed known_hosts file.
NONE Cipher switching. http://www.psc.edu/networking/projects/hpn-ssh/none.php
JSch is licensed under BSD style license(refer to LICENSE.txt).

How To Try

This archive does not include java byte code, so please compile the source code by your self. $ cd jsch-?.?.?/src $ javac com/jcraft/jsch/java com/jcraft/jsch/jce/java com/jcraft/jzlib/*.java '/examples/' directory has included some samples to demonstrate what JSch can do. Please refer to '/examples/README' file.

AES cipher

JSch supports aes128-cbc,aes192-cbc,aes256-cbc,aes128-ctr,aes192-ctr, aes256-ctr but you require AES support in your J2SE to choose some of them.
If you are using Sun's J2SE, J2SE 1.4.2 or later is required.
And then, J2SE 1.4.2(or later) does not support aes256 by the default, because of 'import control restrictions of some countries'. We have confirmed that by applying "Java Cryptography Extension (JCE) Unlimited Strength Jurisdiction Policy Files 1.4.2" on http://java.sun.com/j2se/1.4.2/download.html#docs we can enjoy 'aes256-cbc,aes256-ctr'.

Stream Forwarding

JSch has a unique functionality, Stream Forwarding. Stream Forwarding allows you to plug Java I/O streams directly into a remote TCP port without assigning and opening a local TCP port. In port forwarding, as with the -L option of ssh command, you have to assign and open a local TCP port and that port is also accessible by crackers on localhost. In some case, that local TCP port may be plugged to a secret port via SSH session. A sample program, /example/StreamForwarding.java , demonstrates this functionality.

Generating Authentication Keys

JSch allows you to generate DSA and RSA key pairs, which are in OpenSSH format. Please refer to 'examples/KeyGen.java'.

Packet Compression

According to the draft from IETF sesch working group, the packet compression can be applied to each data stream directions; from sshd server to ssh client and from ssh client to sshd server. So, jsch allows you to choose which data stream direction will be compressed or not. For example, in X11 forwarding session, the packet compression for data stream from sshd to ssh client will save the network traffic, but usually the traffic from ssh client to sshd is light, so by omitting the compression for this direction, you may be able to save some CPU time. Please refer to a sample program 'examples/Compression.java'.

Property

By setting properties, you can control the behavior of jsch. Here is an example of enabling the packet compression,

  Session session=jsch.getSession(user, host, 22);
  java.util.Properties config=new java.util.Properties();
  config.put("compression.s2c", "zlib,none");
  config.put("compression.c2s", "zlib,none");
  session.setConfig(config);
  session.connect();

Current release has supported following properties,

compression.s2c: zlib, none default: none Specifies whether to use compression for the data stream from sshd to jsch. If "zlib,none" is given and the remote sshd does not allow the packet compression, compression will not be done.
compression.c2s: zlib, none default: none Specifies whether to use compression for the data stream from jsch to sshd.
StrictHostKeyChecking: ask | yes | no default: ask If this property is set to yes'', jsch will never automatically add host keys to the $HOME/.ssh/known_hosts file, and refuses to connect to hosts whose host key has changed. This property forces the user to manually add all new hosts. If this property is set tono'', jsch will automatically add new host keys to the user known hosts files. If this property is set to ``ask'', new host keys will be added to the user known host files only after the user has confirmed that is what they really want to do, and jsch will refuse to connect to hosts whose host key has changed.

TODO

re-implementation with java.nio.
replacing cipher, hash by JCE with pure Java code.
SSH File Transfer Protocol version 4.
error handling.

Copyrights & Disclaimers

JSch is copyrighted by ymnk, JCraft,Inc. and is licensed through BSD style license. Read the LICENSE.txt file for the complete license.

Credits and Acknowledgments

JSch has been developed by ymnk@jcraft.com and it can not be hacked without several help.

First of all, we want to thank JCE team at Sun Microsystems. For long time, we had planed to implement SSH2 in pure Java, but we had hesitated to do because tons of work must be done for implementing ciphers, hashes, etc., from the scratch. Thanks to newly added functionalities to J2SE 1.4.0, we could start this project.
We appreciate the OpenSSH project. The options '-ddd' of sshd, '---vvv' of ssh and the compile options '-DPACKET_DEBUG', '-DDEBUG_KEXDH' and '-DDEBUG_KEX' were very useful in debugging JSch.
We appreciate IETF sesch working group and SSH Communications Security Corp. Without the standardization of the protocol, we could not get the chance to implement JSch.
We appreciate Seigo Haruyama(http://www.unixuser.org/~haruyama/), who are interpreting drafts of SSH2 protocol in Japanese. His works were very useful for us to understand the technical terms in our native language.
We also appreciate SourceForge.net's awesome service to the Open Source Community.

If you have any comments, suggestions and questions, write us at jsch@jcraft.com

``SSH is a registered trademark and Secure Shell is a trademark of SSH Communications Security Corp (www.ssh.com)''.

is / jsch

readme