Re: [Qemu-devel] [PATCH 3/3] ui: fix VNC websockets TLS integration

[Gerd Hoffmann]

  Hi,

> The problem is that the VeNCrypt auth scheme is not actally really
> an auth scheme. VeNCrypt is a way to negotiate TLS session on the
> VNC server, and then run one of the traditionl auth schemes over
> that session. When using websockets, we cannot use VeNCrypt because
> the browser websockets client can't do TLS negotigate part way
> through the VNC protocol auth process. It has to have TLS on the
> connection as a whole, hence the VNC websockets server will setup
> TLS during the initial HTTP header phase, before the VNC protocol
> even starts running.

Understood.

> I could have just stuck with the 'auth' & 'subauth' fields in the
> VncDisplay class, and translated them into something else in the
> vnc_client_connect method when setting up VncState, but i figure
> it was clearer to just add a 'ws_auth' field to VncDisplay
> instead and avoid the translation step.

> When I say they are the same, I mean from a high level security
> characteristics, not the low level protocol auth codes.
> 
>  eg if you -vnc 127.0.0.1:5901,websockets=5902,tls,x509,password
> 
> Then for normal VNC server you will get
> 
>   vs->auth = VNC_AUTH_VENCRYPT
>   vs->subauth = VNC_AUTH_VENCRYPT_X509VNC
> 
> This gives a TLS handshake, with x509 certificates and the VNC password
> auth scheme.
> 
> And for the websockets VNC server you will get
> 
>   vs->ws_auth = VNC_AUTH_VNC
> 
> combined with https:// requirement. This gives a TLS handshake with
> x509 certificates and VNC password auth scheme.

Ok, so there basically is a fixed mapping from auth+subauth to ws_auth
+ws_tls, correct?

I think we should have a function setting ws_auth+ws_tls that way then,
to make clear how this works, with a comment explaining things (which
you can probably largely cut+paste from your mail ;)

> So, yes, the VNC protocol auth numbers are diferent, but the actual
> security characteristics, encryption setup and auth scheme *are*
> identical.

I guess we can live with the current QAPI schema then?

cheers,
  Gerd