How to read list-packets

[David Shaw]

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On Fri, Jun 20, 2003 at 10:30:35AM +0200, Johan Wevers wrote:
> Hello,
> 
> Is there somewhere documentation availeble on how to read the output of
> gpg --list-packets? I had a problem some days agoo where someone was not
> able to read my encrypted mail. The other person was using GnuPG too, and
> finally it turned out she forgot to add the IDEA plugin when she upgraded
> GnuPG. The output of gpg --list-packets on my encrypted file is below.
> 
>   vulcan:~> gpg --list-packets X.txt.asc
>   gpg: NOTE: THIS IS A DEVELOPMENT VERSION!
>   gpg: It is only intended for test purposes and should NOT be
>   gpg: used in a production environment or with production keys!
>   :pubkey enc packet: version 3, algo 1, keyid XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
>           data: [1023 bits]
> 
> This is a 1024 bit RSA key, I assume the algo=1 points to RSA. But why list
> it here as 1023 bits?

That's not the size of the RSA key.  That's the size of the session
key.

>    Enter passphrase:
>    :encrypted data packet:
>            length: unknown
>    gpg: encrypted with 1024-bit RSA key, ID XXXXXXXX, created 1995-10-15
>          "XXXX <xxx@xxxx.xx>"
>    gpg: encrypted with 3072-bit ELG-E key, ID 7A3FE18C, created 2000-08-11
>          "Johan Wevers <johanw@vulcan.xs4all.nl>"
>    :compressed packet: algo=1
> 
> I assume the algo=1 here points to the compression algorithm? Or does algo
> here mean the IDEA cipher?

The compression algorithm.  1==ZIP.

The documentation for --list-packets is RFC-2440 ;)  Just look up each
packet type and you'll see the different arguments.

David
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