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The Builder module is used to create and delete new files on a card. To create a new file of 20 16-byte records, you would first describe this file to the Builder module using the window in Figure 6.7.
Figure 6.7. The EZ Formatter Directory/File Attributes window.
After clicking Apply, choose the access conditions for this new file named 1234 using the window, shown in Figure 6.8.
Figure 6.8. The EZ Formatter Access Conditions window.
After you click Apply in this window, the new file shows up back in the Builder window, shown in Figure 6.9.
Figure 6.9. The EZ Formatter Builder interface window.
You have described the new file, but the file hasnt been created on the smart card yet. You can add and delete files until you are satisfied with the structure and then click Create to create all the files youve defined on the card. Furthermore, you can save this structure in a template so that it can be quickly applied to other cards.
Once the file is created, you can use the editor to read, write, and update information in the file. The file Editor window is shown in Figure 6.10.
Figure 6.10. The EZ Formatter Editor window.
Figure 6.11 shows the results of writing data into and reading data out of our new file.
Figure 6.11. The EZ Formatter Editor window data display.
Finally, the Advanced Controls module can be used to execute any command the card supports. You can also use it to send arbitrary byte sequences to the card. EZ Formatter includes a simple hex editor for those situations where you have to get down to the bits. Figure 6.12 shows the Advanced Control window.
Figure 6.12. The EZ Formatter Advanced Controls window.
If you are going to use one of the card commands that EZ Formatter knows (as opposed to sending your own byte sequence), the command, as it will be sent to the card, is displayed along with the arguments it takes. When you click the Build Command button, an input window for each argument is displayed and a value of the argument collected. When all arguments have been supplied, you click the Process button to send the completed command to the card.
A strength of EZ Formatter is that individual smart cards and smart card readers the program can access are described in simple text files kept on your hard disk and read by the program when it starts. The language used for these descriptions is included in the EZ Formatter Users Guide. As a result, you can update the program to work with new cards and new readers that werent in existence when you bought the program. You do this by creating a new description text file that describes the new card or card reader and loading it into EZ Formatter. Here, for example, is part of the EZ Formatter description of Schlumbergers Multiflex card:
[ChangeCHV] Type=0 Instruction=F0 24 00 01 10 zOldPIN(8Bytes) zNewPIN(8Bytes) Response Length=0 Response Time=5000 Comment=Changes secret code [DeleteFile] Type=0 Instruction=F0 E4 00 00 02 xFileID(2Bytes) Response Length=0 Response Time=5000 Error1=6A 82, File ID not found
You can see that exactly what you put in the description file is what appears in the Advanced Controls window (refer to Figure 6.12). Furthermore, the description includes the text that is displayed in the main EZ Formatter window status bar when an error code is returned from the card.
Of course, the easiest way to implement a smart card application is simply to buy the application off-the-shelf, already smart card aware. Although the situation is changing rapidly, there are unfortunately very few smart card-aware applications available today. There are, however, software products that seamlessly and invisibly add smart card capability to existing applications (see Table 6.2).
Product | Company | Telephone | WWW | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Avi-BoKs | AU-Systems | +468 726 7500 | www.ausys.com | ahg@ausys.se |
BoKS | Dynasoft | +468 725 0900 | www.dynas.se | info@dynas.com |
CAP-Net Plug-ins | Selenium Intl. | +1 514 933-8800 | www.selenium.com | cap@selenium.com |
Snare Works | Intellisoft | +1 508 635-9070 | www.isoft.com | info@isoft.com |
MiniCash Electronic Purse | Donpa | +358 208-330033 | www.sci.fi/~donpa | raimo.kainulainen @sci.fi |
Multicard Smart | Mars Electronics | +44 118 969 7700 | www.meiglobal.com | matco@meiglobal.com |
NetSign | Litronic | +1 714 545-6649 | www.litronic.com | info>@litronic.com |
Prepaid Smart Card System | Amerkore | +1 703 204-0023 | www.amerkore.com | amerkore@amerkore.com |
Prepaid System | Amerkore | +1 703 204-0023 | www.amerkore.com | amerkore@amerkore.com |
SafePak | Schlumberger | +1 609 234-8000 | www.slb.com/et/ | info@et.slb.com |
SmartGate | V-ONE | +1 301 838-8900 | www.v-one.com | sales@v-one.com |
Web Browser Plug-ins | Innovonics | +1 602 516-1341 | www.innovonics.com | questions@innovonics.com |
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