gnu.crypto.keyring

Interface IKeyring

Known Subinterfaces:
IPrivateKeyring, IPublicKeyring
Known Implementing Classes:
BaseKeyring, GnuPrivateKeyring, GnuPublicKeyring

public interface IKeyring

The top-level interface to a keyring: a file that is used to store and protect public and private cryptographic keys.

A keyring is modelled as a mapping of one alias to one or more entries (optionally of different types).

See also the sub-interfaces IPublicKeyring and IPrivateKeyring for special types of keyrings --the difference being in the type of entries they contain.

Version:
$Revision: 1.4 $

Field Summary

static String
KEYRING_DATA_IN
Property name for the source of data to load the keyring from.
static String
KEYRING_DATA_OUT
Property name for the data sink to store the keyring to.
static String
KEYRING_PASSWORD
Property name for the keyring's top-level password, used to authenticate and/or transform the store itself.

Method Summary

void
add(Entry entry)
Adds a designated Entry to this keyring.

What happens if there is already an entry with the same alias?

Enumeration
aliases()
Returns an Enumeration of all aliases (instances of String) in this keyring.
boolean
containsAlias(String alias)
Tests whether or not this keyring contains the given alias.
List
get(String alias)
Returns a List of entries (instances of Entry) for the given alias, or null if there no such entry exists.
void
load(Map attributes)
Loads a keyring into memory.

What happens to the current contents of this keyring?

void
remove(String alias)
Removes an entry with the designated alias from this keyring.
void
reset()
Resets this keyring, clearing all sensitive data.
int
size()
Returns the number of entries in this keyring.
void
store(Map attributes)
Stores the contents of this keyring to persistent storage as specified by the designated attributes.

Field Details

KEYRING_DATA_IN

public static final String KEYRING_DATA_IN
Property name for the source of data to load the keyring from. The value mapped must be a java.io.InputStream.


KEYRING_DATA_OUT

public static final String KEYRING_DATA_OUT
Property name for the data sink to store the keyring to. The value mapped must be a java.io.OutputStream.


KEYRING_PASSWORD

public static final String KEYRING_PASSWORD
Property name for the keyring's top-level password, used to authenticate and/or transform the store itself. The mapped value must be a char array.

Method Details

add

public void add(Entry entry)
Adds a designated Entry to this keyring.

What happens if there is already an entry with the same alias?

Parameters:
entry - The entry to put in this keyring.


aliases

public Enumeration aliases()
Returns an Enumeration of all aliases (instances of String) in this keyring.

Returns:
The enumeration of Strings each representing an alias found in this keyring.


containsAlias

public boolean containsAlias(String alias)
Tests whether or not this keyring contains the given alias.

Parameters:
alias - The alias to check.

Returns:
true if this keyring contains the alias.


get

public List get(String alias)
Returns a List of entries (instances of Entry) for the given alias, or null if there no such entry exists.

Parameters:
alias - The alias of the entry(ies) to return.

Returns:
A list of all entries (instances of Entry that have the given alias, or null if no one Entry can be found with the designated alias.


load

public void load(Map attributes)
            throws IOException
Loads a keyring into memory.

What happens to the current contents of this keyring? are the new ones merged with the current ones or do they simply replace them?

Parameters:
attributes - The attributes that designate the source where the store is to be loaded from. What happens


remove

public void remove(String alias)
Removes an entry with the designated alias from this keyring. Does nothing if there was no such entry.

What happens if there are more than one?

Parameters:
alias - The alias of the entry to remove.


reset

public void reset()
Resets this keyring, clearing all sensitive data. This method always suceeds.


size

public int size()
Returns the number of entries in this keyring.

Returns:
The number of current entries in this keyring.


store

public void store(Map attributes)
            throws IOException
Stores the contents of this keyring to persistent storage as specified by the designated attributes.

Parameters:
attributes - the attributes that define where the contents of this keyring will be stored.


Copyright © 2001, 2002, 2003 Free Software Foundation, Inc. All Rights Reserved.