-*- text -*- 
		    The International Kernel Patch
		    ==============================
		     (aka Linux Kernel CryptoAPI)

				   
  What is the International Kernel Patch?
  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  Due to previous regulations on export and use of crypto, especially
in the US, the Linux source distribution has not contained crypto up
to this point. The International Kernel Patch has tried to remedy this
situation by providing the missing functionality in the form of a
unified patch to the Linux kernel source.

  Lately, some US export restrictions have been lifted, and it is
therefore possible that crypto will be part of the linux kernel source
code in the future. However, until that happens, this is where you can
get crypto support in your linux kernel.

  The International Kernel Patch is not endorsed by Linus Torvalds and
should therefore not be considered to be part of the official Linux
kernel source.


  What is the Linux Kernel CryptoAPI?
  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  The Linux Kernel CryptoAPI provide a framework of ciphers and digests
that can be used to encrypt and decrypt data inside kernel space.  The API
is a non-intrusive patch in that it does not modify any of the existing
kernel source code.  It can be compiled into the kernel or loaded as a
kernel module for dynamic loading and unloading during runtime.
  On a high level the CryptoAPI distribution includes the following:

	   - an interface for accessing different kinds of cryptographic
	   functions

	   - a set of well known cipher and digest functions

	   - hooks to use CryptoAPI for filesystem encryption

	   - a set of different block modes for each cipher


  What is the CryptoAPI good for ?
  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  If you need to have any secure computing enviornment which requires
encryption in kernel space.  A common use for this is filesystem level 
encryption(patch included), which allows partitions or files mounted as
filesystems to be encrypted on the device level.  Thus, anyone who attempts
to access the information on the drive without the proper encryption key
and algorithm will see random looking garbage.  Some other possible uses of
theCryptoAPI are encrypting network traffic and swap space.
  For examples of how to use the structures and functions in the CryptoAPI
see <./cryptoapi.txt> and for information on filesystem encryption see 
<./cryptoloop.txt>.
  

--
$Id: README,v 1.2 2002/04/11 17:26:40 mutex_ Exp $