PCSCD

Section: PC/SC Lite (8)
Updated: January 2007
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NAME

pcscd - PC/SC Smart Card Daemon

SYNOPSIS

pcscd [options]

OPTIONS

-a, --apdu: log APDUs and SW using the debug method (see --debug).
-c, --config file: Specifies the file file as an alternate location for /etc/reader.conf.
-f, --foreground: Runs pcscd in the foreground and sends log messages to stderr instead of syslog(3).
-d, --debug: use the lowest log level. Any log message of this level or above will be sent to stderr or syslog(3) depending on the use of --foreground.
--info: use info log level. This is the default log level.
--error: use error log level.
--critical: use critical log level.

The log levels are ordered as: debug < info < error < critical. Use a log level l will log this level and all the levels above it.

-h, --help: Displays information about the pcscd command line
-v, --version: Displays the program version number
-H, --hotplug: Ask pcscd to rescan the USB buses for added or removed readers and re-read the /etc/reader.conf file to detect added or removed non-USB readers (serial or PCMCIA).

DESCRIPTION

pcscd is the daemon program for pcsc-lite and the MuscleCard framework. It is a resource manager that coordinates communications with smart card readers and smart cards and cryptographic tokens that are connected to the system.

pcscd is normally started at boot time from /etc/init.d/pcscd. It allows applications to access smart cards and readers without knowing details of the card or reader.

pcscd coordinates the loading of drivers for card readers.

The purpose of pcsc-lite is to provide a cross compatible API (called winscard) for migrating Windows based PC/SC applications to Unix.

At startup, pcscd loads the smart card reader drivers specified in the /etc/reader.conf file (or specified using --config file).

SERIAL SMART CARD READER DRIVERS

Smart card reader drivers are placed in the /usr/lib/pcsc/drivers directory. Each driver is simply an .so file. pcscd locates the driver using the /etc/reader.conf file. See the reader.conf(5) manual page for more information. Drivers are available at http://www.musclecard.com/drivers.html.

USB SMART CARD READER DRIVERS

USB smart card reader drivers are located in /usr/lib/pcsc/drivers directory as a bundle. You shall not add a USB driver in /etc/reader.conf file.

FILES

/etc/reader.conf : Reader configuration file

/etc/init.d/pcscd : pcscd startup script

/var/run/pcscd.pid : process id of the running pcscd

/usr/lib/pcsc/drivers : directory containing bundles for USB drivers

AUTHORS

David Corcoran <corcoran@musclecard.com> and Ludovic Rousseau <ludovic.rousseau@free.fr>