FAQ

		INFO & KNOWLEGDE

1. smart card reader = smart card writer ?

Needless to say, a smart card reader is also a "smart card writer", only in dawn of smart card technology existed special smart card writer as there were smart cards which needed a programing voltage for write operations. Nowadays a smart card reader is just forwarding commands (read, write, encrypt, sign, generate,..) to the card and their response to the application on the host.

2. What is PC/SC - what is CT-API ?

When you are installing a smart card driver on a windows operating system, it's usually a driver according to the PC/SC standard. You will see the reader in the device manager and (most) applications are able to use smart cards which are inserted in those smart card readers.

CT-API is an older standard common in german speaking countries, which has standardized the usage of additional features of smart card readers like pinpad, display,... years before PC/CS does. Therefore some programs still use the CT-API driver for using smart cards via a reader.

3. What is Smart Card Service ?

The smart card service in Windows is the PC/SC counterpart on the host. This service is managing all connected readers, inserted smart cards and the current state of this cards. If this service is not started or broken to some reason, no smart cards are usable on this machine.

scstatus.exe [44 KB] is a small windows program showing state of readers and cards on the system.

4. What is CSP, PKCS #11 or Minidriver

PKCS#11 (RSA) and CSP (Cryptographic Service Provider / Microsoft) are standardized cryptographic interfaces for smart cards. You may consider them as "card driver" if you want. Via these interfaces, applications are able to use cryptographic smart cards wiithout having knowlegde about their inner life. (operating system, file structure,...)

With Microsofts Base Smart Card CSP there is a standardized CSP for different smart cards, but also this CSP needs a minimum on information about the smart card, called Minidriver.

Without those interfaces, a smart card has to work direclty with a smart card, which is often the case for standarddized cards like GSM - cards or e-health-cards.

There are no standardized interfaces for contactless cards. Applications had to implement the card (application) completely. therefore there is no "standard software" for contacltess cards.

5. What is PKCS #15 ?

PKCS#15 resp. ISO 7816-15 standardizes application (structures) on a smart card, meaning the files, security assertions, etc.. Middlewares (PKCS#11, CSP) are initializing those structures usally. But PKCS#15 is big an complex, so most middleware don't support the full PKCS#15. Therefore it is possible and probable, that a PKCS#15 application from the one middleware (i.e. commercial one) can not be used by another middleware (i.e. open source) although both claim to be PKCS#15 compliant and use PKCS#15 as structure of their own card application.

6. I want to do smart card login!

In general windows machines are prepared for smart card login, But windows smart card login is a kerberos based domain login with public key cryptography (certificate based), which means, it is not suitable for private users. In the doimain you need a Certificate Authority (activate certificate services) which is issuing certificates (keys are usually generated on the card itself) you need on the client the smart card middleware for the used card, and a smart card reader - or course.