Frequently Asked Questions about Mixmaster Remailers

FAQ Verson 1.8 July 4 1996
by Lance Cottrell

This document is a semi-technical discussion of Mixmaster remailers. I wrote this to answer questions often asked by new users of Mixmaster, and to explain why you would want to use Mixmaster remailers.

Announcements

4 July 1996: Mixmaster for Dos and Windows is now available! I am pleased to announce the release of Mixmaster 2.0.3 It contains many bug fixes, and a much improved Makefile which makes compiling a snap!

What is Mixmaster?

Mixmaster is a new class of anonymous remailers. Inspired by the existing "cypherpunk" remailers and discussions on the Cypherpunk mailing list. Mixmaster is the next generation in the evolution of remailer technology.

What is an anonymous remailer?

Quoting from Andre Bacard's remailer FAQ:
An anonymous remailer (also called an "anonymous server") is a free computer service that privatizes your e-mail. A remailer allows you to send electronic mail to a Usenet news group or to a person without the recipient knowing your name or your e-mail address.
For a non-technical introduction to remailers (not including Mixmaster), I recommend Andre's FAQ. It is posted regularly to: or you can get it by sending mail to: 
  To: abacard@well.com
  Subject: Help1
  Message: [Ignored]
There is also a version on the World Wide Web.

What do I need to use Mixmaster remailers?

Unlike other remailers, you can't just make your own message and send it to the remailer. Mixmaster's security comes in part from using a special message format. The disadvantage of this is that you need a special program to make the message for you. Once you have that program (the client) remailing is as easy as running the program, and telling it which remailers you want to use.

How do I get the Mixmaster client software?

Visit Sourceforge and search for Mixmaster.

How do I get the software to run a Mixmaster remailer?

The remailer software is available from the same sites as the client.

But I only see one Mixmaster distribution?

The same program is used for both the client and the remailer. The only difference is in the installation. For the client you just compile it and you are ready to go. For the remailer, you need to set up mail forwarding and cron jobs.

What kinds of computers does Mixmaster run on?

Unfortunately, not Macs, but several people are working on that now. Mixmaster was ported to PC by Ulf Moeller . Many thank to him for the excellent work! Mixmaster runs under UNIX. The only UNIX machine it is known not to work on is Dec Alpha. It has been tested on Linux, FreeBSD, SunOS 4.1.3, Solaris, and several others. It has been compiled and tested on Netcom. If you use it on a machine or service not on this list, please let me know so I can add it.

How does Mixmaster work, and why should I use it?

You should use Mixmaster if you want the highest level of anonymity available, or if your are tired of building remailer messages your self. A discussion of how Mixmaster provides this level of security is beyond the scope of this FAQ, but I put an essay on the subject on my home page.

Does Mixmaster use PGP?

No, Mixmaster uses the rsaref package from RSA. Mixmaster uses its own keys and key file formats. To add a key to a key ring, simply append the key to your key file using your favorite text editor.

Can Mixmaster post to News?

Yes, like older remailers some Mixmaster remailers can post to news. Also like older remailers, not all Mixmaster remailers can post to news. Request the remailer's help file to check if it supports posting. Do this by sending mail to the remailer with the subject line remailer-help.

When Was Mixmaster Released?

Mixmaster was originally released on an experimental basis in late 1994. There were only ever two remailers running Mixmaster 1.0. Mixmaster 2.0 was released on May 3, 1995. There are now 18 publicly available Mixmaster remailers.

What is the latest version of Mixmaster?

Version 2.0.3 for Dos and Windows was released July 4 1996.

Version 2.0.3 was released on Nov 27, 1995. This version uses a new Makefile, which makes compiling it a snap. Several bugs were also fixed, and some esoteric functions added.

Version 2.0.2 was released on Sept 22, 1995. Mixmaster remailers can now accept messages containing multiple Mixmaster packets. Mixmaster can be told to choose a random set of remailers to chain your message through. It will now route multiple packet messages over independant chains. Several minor bugs were fixed.

Version 2.0.1 was released on May 27, 1995. The only changes from 2.0 are some improvements in the documentation, and the inclusion of a more up to date list of remailers.

What remailers run Mixmaster?

The most recent list of remailers is available from Publius.net, along with the remailer list and key file for Mixmaster. You can simply replace your current type2.list and pubring.mix files with these. They are also available from jpunix. My list is simply a mirror of the one on Jpunix, which is maintained (through much hard work) by John Perry.

Please send any questions you think should be here to: loki@obscura.com.