Oracle Solaris Smart Card Framework Overview

In the Solaris operating system, the smart card framework is used to connect consumer applications with smart card terminals. A consumer application makes calls to the smart card framework (SCF) API. A smart card terminal communicates with consumer applications through an interface device (IFD) handler, which is basically a device driver. IFD handlers connect to the framework through the terminal interface. See the following figure.

Figure 10–1 Smart Card Framework

The Solaris operating system stores smart card configuration information in a private file. This approach is in contrast to linux implementations, where /etc/reader.conf is generally used. To change entries in the configuration file, use the command smartcard(1M).

At this time, the smart card framework is independent of the Solaris cryptographic framework.