[Muscle] contactless reader and card support under linux

[s.ferey]

Tim Harvey a écrit :
> 
> I'm looking for a contactless card that can be programmed with personal 
> information such as name, ssn, etc.  Therefore I suppose I need a 
> microprocessor card that supports crypto.  The reader needs to be driven 
> by an embedded device running Linux that will need to decrypt the info 
> off the card and transmit it to a mysql database over a VPN, so my 
> application will need to be able to decrypt the info off the card when 
> the card comes into proximity of the reader.

at that point it's not clear that local appl. actually needs to
decrypt data - of course it's perfect if you can grant that this
application can not be attacked and if the VPN is costless, but
otherwise you can also imagine to simply transmit ciphered data
read from the card to the (protected) server that will decrypt
data before SQL processing.

what stays true is that the appl. needs to be able to read all
needed data when the card (the card*s* ?) is/are in the field.
the RF speed card as well as the reader perf. may have to be
taken into account.

> I would like to have a small USB reader (powered off the USB bus) that 
> can easily be mounted to a surface but an RS232 reader will work if USB 
> limits the options too much.

the reader to host (PC) protocol is seldom a limitation,
RS232, USB or Ethernet reader is mainly limited by their
own perf. (and of course the card ones).

> Does this give enough information for recommending a 
> card/reader/middleware?

you didn't mention how much data you have to read, nor how
many cards may be read simultaneously; recommodations are
hard.

> It sounds like the right way to go is PC/SC Lite + OpenSC
> but I'm still not clear how my application will interface
> with OpenSC to get a card-read event and data from the card.

PC/SC is the de facto standard, a live one (as compared to
OCF for instance); it will not make things suddently easier
but at least portable.

I don't know what means a "card-read event", but you will
detect a (OCF like) card-insertion event with the
SCardGetStatusChange() function.

> I will 
> need a reader that has contactless reading supported by either an 
> ifdhandler driver for pcsc-lite or by openCT (assuming I use the openCT 
> as a driver for pcsc-lite).  I would like to avoid a proprietary driver 
> but can accomodate one if it supports either openCT or pcsc-lite and is 
> supplied as sourcecode (as I'll need to cross-compile it for an embedded 
> system).

the question will be does that embedded system lets you plug
the chosen reader - dealing with a (OEM) RF transmitter and
not with an off-the-shelf reader may help.

> Some questions about specific readers mentioned on 
> http://pcsclite.alioth.debian.org/ccid.html:
> 
>  - The comment on the CCID driver page regarding the OmniKey CardMan 
> 5125 (contact+contactless) card states that the 'HID PROX' interface is 
> not supported.  I'm not clear what that interface is and if its needed 
> for contactless reading.

Omnikey has done some (great) work to provide linux support,
not enough - of course; depending on your project volume you
should be able to find help & support from OK or other developpers.

>  - It looks like there are several contactless readers from SpringCard 
> that appear supported (but untested) - any feedback on these?

ProActive also works hard around linux, they quite easily work on
project-basis plan, if you purchase enough "reader", tailored
developpment is certainly possible. ask Johann Dantant.

>  - there is mention of id3 CL1356A HID support added to CCID v1.37 yet 
> its in the 'should work but untested by me' category - any feedback on 
> this reader?

the CL13.56 readers are the "best" I used for RF stuff (except
UltraSmart which is 10 time more expensive), its range is good,
its driver is able to work well in strict ISO conformance mode
or in tailored mode; works also great for simultaneous access.
that company can also works on specific project. ask Philippe
Bourgault.

>  - the ACR122 contactless USB reader is also mentioned in the CCID 
> 'should work but untested by me' category - any feedback on this reader?

bad experience.


for these 3 readers, my experience is for Windows dev., not linux.

Sylvain.