PC/SC Applications and New Developments

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PC/SC Applications and New Developments

• Boris Balacheff
• Member of PC/SC Technical Workgroup

CTST 2000 Miami
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PC/SC Revision 1.0 Limitations

• Emergence of Multi-application smartcards finds a
  lack of support in Revision 1.0 (I.e. Windows for
  Smartcards, JavaCards)
• It is not possible to manage dynamically the
  off-card components that are used to interact
  with on-card applications
• Smartcard reader support is not up-to-date with
  current reader technology developments
• No support for synchronous and contactless cards

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Multi-Application Cards

• Currently, Service Providers are mapped to a
  specific card-type (using ATR) in the Resource
  Manager database
• With multi-application cards, the card-type does
  not reflect the cards functionality/applications
• Need for a flexible and dynamic mechanism to
  update Service Provider information on the PC
  platform along with on-card applications changes

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Multi-Application Cards (cont.)

• It is not enough that the PC/SC Resource Manager
  can only recognise a smartcard based on
  manufacturer-specific ATR information
• To be able to dynamically assign Services
  Providers, information describing the card must
  be held on the card
• Need for a card recognition mechanism that is
  more flexible, in order to reflect what is on the
  card dynamically

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Enhanced Smartcard Readers

• Revision 1.0 only supports readers with basic
  APDU communication capabilities
• Reader technologies with extended capabilities
  become widespread (pinpads, displays, multi-slot,
  SecurePin, biometrics)
• Need to allow interoperability between cards and
  PC applications that use these new reader
  capabilities

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Other Card Technologies

• Contactless cards are a growing market
• Synchronous cards are already used by many
  applications
• Need to provide some support to allow the same
  interfaces and look-and-feel as asynchronous
  cards, at the PC application level

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Introducing PC/SC Revision 2.0

• Revision 2.0 of PC/SC aims at addressing these
  limitations. It does this by introducing the
  following
• A New card recognition mechanism
• A Dynamic Service Provider Assignment mechanism
• A Mechanism for enhanced smartcard reader support
• Support for contactless and synchronous cards

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PC/SC 2.0 Architecture
ICCSPs in the PC/SC Revision 1.0 sense
Card-Aware Application
Interfaces Enhanced reader capabilities
ADSP
IFD SP
ICCOS-SP
ADSP Locator
Resource Manager
Abstraction of reader capabilities
Slot 1
Pin Pad
Slot 2
Display
New component to manage dynamic access to on-card
applications
IFD Handler
Reader
Smart Card
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Revision 2.0 Approach

• Card and Reader
• Card Operating System
• Card Applications
• CardInfo Structure
• IFD Subsystem (IFD IFD Handler)

• Software Components
• ICCOS Service Provider
• (ICCOS-SP)
• Application Domain Service
• Provider (ADSP)
• ADSP Locator (ADSPL)
• IFD Service Provider (IFDSP)

Typical Responsibility Card Vendor Application
Developer Card Issuer IFD Vendor
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Card Recognition
Resource Manager
Smartcard
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Service Provider Assignment
Application
Resource Manager
Smartcard
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Enhanced IFDs
ICC-Aware Application
ADSP
IFD SP
ICCOS-SP
ADSP Locator
Resource Manager
Slot 1
Pin Pad
Slot 2
Display
IFD Handler
Reader
Smart Card
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Contactless and Synchronous Cards
ICC-Aware Application
ADSP
IFD SP
ICCOS-SP
ADSP Locator
Resource Manager
Slot 1
Pin Pad
Slot 2
Display
IFD Handler
These components are responsible for implementing
PC/SC support for Contactless and/or Synchronous
cards
Reader
Smart Card
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Further Information

• WhitePaper on PC/SC Revision 2.0 available at
• http//www.pcscworkgroup.com