NAME

libpkcs11 — PKCS#11 Cryptographic Framework library

SYNOPSIS

PKCS#11 Cryptographic Framework Library (libpkcs11, -lpkcs11)
#include <security/cryptoki.h>
#include <security/pkcs11.h>

DESCRIPTION

The libpkcs11 library implements the RSA Security Inc. PKCS#11 Cryptographic Token Interface (Cryptoki), v2.40 specification by using plug-ins to provide the slots.

Each plug-in, which also implements RSA PKCS#11 v2.40, represents one or more slots.

The libpkcs11 library provides a special slot called the meta slot. The meta slot provides a virtual union of capabilities of all other slots. When available, the meta slot is always the first slot provided by libpkcs11.

The meta slot feature can be configured either system-wide or by individual users. System-wide configuration for meta slot features is done with the cryptoadm(8) utility. User configuration for meta slot features is performed with environment variables.

By default, the following is the system-wide configuration for meta slot. Meta slot is enabled. Meta slot provides token-based object support with the Software RSA PKCS#11 softtoken (pkcs11_softtoken(7)). Meta slot is allowed to move sensitive token objects to other slots if that is necessary to perform an operation.

Users can overwrite one or more system-wide configuration options for meta slot using these environment variables.

The ${METASLOT_OBJECTSTORE_SLOT} and ${METASLOT_OBJECTSTORE_TOKEN} environment variables are used to specify an alternate token object store. A user can specify either slot-description in ${METASLOT_OBJECTSTORE_SLOT} or token-label in ${METASLOT_OBJECTSTORE_TOKEN}, or both. Valid values for slot-description and token-label are available from output of the command:

# cryptoadm list -v

The ${METASLOT_ENABLED} environment variable is used to specify whether the user wants to turn the metaslot feature on or off. Only two values are recognized. The value "true" means meta slot will be on. The value "false" means meta slot will be off.

The ${METASLOT_AUTO_KEY_MIGRATE} environment variable is used to specify whether the user wants sensitive token objects to move to other slots for cryptographic operations. Only two values are recognized. The value "true" means meta slot will migrate sensitive token objects to other slots if necessary. The value "false" means meta slot will not migrate sensitive token objects to other slots even if it is necessary.

When the meta slot feature is enabled, the slot that provides token-based object support is not shown as one of the available slots. All of its functionality can be used with the meta slot.

This library filters the list of mechanisms available from plug-ins based on the policy set by cryptoadm(8).

This library provides entry points for all PKCS#11 v2.40 functions. See the PKCS#11 v2.40 specifications at http://www.oasis-open.org.

Plug-ins are added to libpkcs11 by the pkcs11conf class action script during execution of pkgadd(8). The available mechanisms are administered by the cryptoadm(8) utility.

Plug-ins must have all of their library dependencies specified, including libc(3LIB). Libraries that have unresolved symbols, including those from libc(3LIB), will be rejected and a message will be sent to syslog(3C) for such plug-ins.

Due to U.S. Export regulations, all plug-ins are required to be cryptographically signed using the elfsign(1) utility.

Any plug-in that is not signed or is not a compatible version of PKCS#11 will be dropped by libpkcs11. When a plug-in is dropped, the administrator is alerted by the syslog(3C) utility.

The <security/pkcs11f.h> header contains function definitions. The <security/pkcs11t.h> header contains type definitions. Applications can include either of these headers in place of <security/pkcs11.h>, which contains both function and type definitions.

INTERFACES

The shared object libpkcs11.so.1 provides the public interfaces defined below. See Intro(3) for additional information on shared object interfaces.

PKCS#11 Standard

C_CloseAllSessions	C_CloseSession
C_CopyObject	C_CreateObject
C_Decrypt	C_DecryptDigestUpdate
C_DecryptFinal	C_DecryptInit
C_DecryptUpdate	C_DecryptVerifyUpdate
C_DeriveKey	C_DestroyObject
C_Digest	C_DigestEncryptUpdate
C_DigestFinal	C_DigestInit
C_DigestKey	C_DigestUpdate
C_Encrypt	C_EncryptFinal
C_EncryptInit	C_EncryptUpdate
C_Finalize	C_FindObjects
C_FindObjectsFinal	C_FindObjectsInit
C_GenerateKey	C_GenerateKeyPair
C_GenerateRandom	C_GetAttributeValue
C_GetFunctionList	C_GetInfo
C_GetMechanismInfo	C_GetMechanismList
C_GetObjectSize	C_GetOperationState
C_GetSessionInfo	C_GetSlotInfo
C_GetSlotList	C_GetTokenInfo
C_InitPIN	C_InitToken
C_Initialize	C_Login
C_Logout	C_OpenSession
C_SeedRandom	C_SetAttributeValue
C_SetOperationState	C_SetPIN
C_Sign	C_SignEncryptUpdate
C_SignFinal	C_SignInit
C_SignRecover	C_SignRecoverInit
C_SignUpdate	C_UnwrapKey
C_Verify	C_VerifyFinal
C_VerifyInit	C_VerifyRecover
C_VerifyRecoverInit	C_VerifyUpdate
C_WaitForSlotEvent	C_WrapKey

SUNW Extensions

SUNW_C_GetMechSession

SUNW_C_KeyToObject

FILES

/usr/lib/libpkcs11.so.1: shared object
/usr/lib/64/libpkcs11.so.1: 64-bit shared object

ATTRIBUTES

See attributes(7) for descriptions of the following attributes:

INTERFACE STABILITY

Committed

MT-LEVEL

The SUNW Extension functions are MT-Safe. The PKCS#11 Standard functions are MT-Safe with exceptions. See Section 2.5.3 of PKCS#11 Cryptographic Token Usage Guide v2.40 and Section 5.1.5 of PKCS#11 Cryptographic Token Interface Base Standard v2.40

STANDARDS

The PKCS#11 Standard functions conform to PKCS#11 Cryptographic Token Interface Profiles v2.40 Extended Provider.

NOTES

If an application calls C_WaitForSlotEvent() without the CKF_DONT_BLOCK flag set, libpkcs11 must create threads internally. If, however, CKF_LIBRARY_CANT_CREATE_OS_THREADS is set, C_WaitForSlotEvent() returns CKR_FUNCTION_FAILED.

Because C_Initialize() might have been called by both an application and a library, it is not safe for a library or its plugins to call C_Finalize(). A library can be finished calling functions from libpkcs11, while an application might not.