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List:       ms-cryptoapi
Subject:    Re: Question on context management API
From:       Jeff Spelman <jeffspel () MICROSOFT ! COM>
Date:       1996-08-26 22:25:30
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Susan
1) There is currently no API to do what you ask, but this is a good
suggestion and may be implemented in a future release.

2) There is a way to enumerate key containers with the Microsoft Default
Provider (PROV_RSA_FULL) and not know or create a key container.  This
may be done by using the CRYPT_VERIFYCONTEXT flag, when calling
CryptAcquireContext.  NULL is passed for the container name.  Once the
verify context has been acquired then the key containers may be
enumerated with the CryptGetProvParam call.

Thanks for the suggestion!
Jeff

>----------
>From:  Susan Chapin[SMTP:schapin@MITRE.ORG]
>Sent:  Monday, August 26, 1996 8:27 AM
>To:    CryptoAPI@LISTSERV.MSN.COM
>Subject:       Question on context management API
>
>I have noticed what appear to be two limitations in the CAPI, version 1,
>context management functions:
>
>(1)  There doesn't seem to be any way in the API to enquire what CSPs of a
>given type are installed on the system.  That information is in the
>Registry, but the format is "subject to change at any time" and therefore
>applications are not supposed to read the Cryptography keys in the Registry
>directly.  With the API you can use a NULL value to specify the default CSP
>for a type, but you can't check what other CSPs there may be.
>
>(2)  It can be difficult to identify the key containers associated with a
>given CSP.  The API requires that you use a handle to a context in order to
>enumerate the key containers available for a given CSP.  But you need the
>name of a key container in order to get a context handle.  Therefore you
>cannot list the available key containers unless you already know one
>existing key container.
>
>Am I missing something?
>
>Thank you,
>
>        - Susan Chapin (schapin@mitre.org)
>
>----The opinions expressed above are my very own and are not necessarily
>approved by or even known to my employer.----
>
>---------------------------------------------------------------------------
>Susan Chapin,  schapin@mitre.org
>The MITRE Corporation, McLean, VA, 22102
>Phone:  703/883-3610    FAX:  703/883-1397
>---------------------------------------------------------------------------
>



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