Gemalto .NET Smart Card Framework

By extending the Microsoft .NET programming model to the smart card, Gemalto offers businesses and application developers a rich feature set including managed memory, strong security, and language independence.

The combination of the .NET model and the smart card means that the card performs well as a peer computing device, maintains consistent, strong security with applications both on- and off-card, and leads the way to better integrated smart-card applications and services.

The smart card interacts easily with host applications without the need for complicated host software.

Seamless access to cryptographic services: Developers can easily modify existing solutions that use .NET cryptographic services to take advantage of the enhanced security and customization options of smart cards.

Software Development Toolkit: Developers will find in the Gemalto .NET SDK all the tools required for development, test and debug of comprehensive solutions for the .NET Smart Card. The .NET SDK integrates as a plug-in to Visual Studio .NET and provides quick-and-easy access to the rich development environments of both VS .NET and the Gemalto .NET Smart Card Framework.

Multiple languages and applications: The Common Language Infrastructure implemented in the .NET card allows smart card applications to be integrated in .NET solutions developed in any language. This means developers can choose an application language based on the best business case for the product rather than some arbitrary limitation.

.NET Smart Card Framework: A subset of the .NET Framework class libraries includes all the functions necessary to support a programming model consistent with that of the full .NET framework. Because the .NET concepts are consistently applied on the smart card, developers can move quickly from .NET programming to .NET smart card development without a long learning curve.

Fast and efficient garbage collection: .NET smart card technology uses garbage collection algorithms designed specially for smart cards, and provides transparent memory allocation with fast garbage collection. This means the smart card can process data and use memory more effectively for more and better services on the card.

Communication protocols: Unified communications between smart card and host. Consistent, reliable communication is enabled through the .NET Remoting communication mechanism. This feature can support standard protocols such as XML, SOAP, and HTTP, as well as traditional 7816-4 protocol APDU commands.

Powerful transaction system: .NET smart card technology provides a transaction system that allows arbitrarily nested transactions, with transaction lengths limited only by the available card memory.

Reusable components and convenient field updates: The .NET smart card enables reusable components to focus on core business services, leveraging Microsoft .NET data exchange standards to eliminate routine but time-consuming, smart-card-specific infrastructure chores. The operating system is updatable in the field for added convenience and reduced maintenance costs.