Manage the Cryptographic Coprocessor

After you set up your Cryptographic Coprocessor, you can begin writing programs to make use of your Cryptographic Coprocessor's cryptographic functions.

This section is mainly for i5/OS™ application use of the Cryptographic Coprocessor.

Note: Many of the pages in this section include one or more program examples. Change these programs to suit your specific needs. Some require that you change only one or two parameters while others require more extensive changes. For security reasons, IBM^® recommends that you individualize these program examples rather than using the default values provided.

Log on or off of the Cryptographic Coprocessor
You can log on or off the Cryptographic Coprocessor by working with role-restricted APIs.
Query status or request information
You can query your Cryptographic Coprocessor to determine characteristics such as which algorithms are enabled, the key lengths it supports, the status of the master key, the status of cloning, and the clock setting.
Initialize a key store file
A key store file is a database file that stores operational keys, i.e. keys encrypted under the master key. Read this information if you plan to keep records of your DES and PKA keys.
Create DES and PKA keys
You can create DES and PKA keys and store them in a DES key store.
Encrypt or decrypt a file
One of the more practical uses for your Cryptographic Coprocessor is encrypting and decrypting data files.
Work with PINs
A financial institution uses personal identification numbers (PINs) to authorize personal financial transactions for its customers. A PIN is similar to a password except that a PIN consists of decimal digits and is normally a cryptographic function of an associated account number. You can use your Cryptographic Coprocessor to work with PINs.
Generate and verify a digital signature
You can protect data from undetected changes by including a proof of identity value called a digital signature.

Parent topic: 4764 and 4758 Cryptographic Coprocessors