From: Koh Gim Leng (kohgimlenggmail.com)
Date: Thu Jan 27 2005 - 21:10:30 CST

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On Tue, 25 Jan 2005 16:45:52 -0500, Richard M. Smith
<rmscomputerbytesman.com> wrote:
> Hi,
>
> What seems more user-friendly to me is that a single USB key device needs to
> be sharable between 5 credit cards, rather than having 5 separate devices.
>
> What I still do not understand is how a Web site communicates with the USB
> key device.

Web site communicates to a web browser which in term communicates to a
set of standard APIs known as PKCS#11. Every smart card token or USB
token vendor who wants to sell their token will provide you with their
PKCS#11. Being a standard, your browser will know which API to call
within the PKCS#11.

If the token is in the form smart card, then the PKCS#11 provided by
the smart card vendor will include means to call the smart card
drivers provided as well. If the token is in the form of USB, then the
PKCS#11 provided by the USB vendor will inculdes means to call the USB
drivers as well. Bottom line - whatever happens belows PKCS#1l should
be transparent to the web browser (or any PKI enabled application).

Regards
Sam Koh

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