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Class java.security.Provider

java.lang.Object
   |
   +----java.util.Dictionary
           |
           +----java.util.Hashtable
                   |
                   +----java.util.Properties
                           |
                           +----java.security.Provider

public class Provider
extends Properties

This class represents a Security Package Provider (SPP) for the JavaSecurity API. A provider implements some or all parts of JavaSecurity, including:

Algorithms (such as DSA, RSA, MD5 or SHA).
Key Management facilities (such as algorithm-specific keys).

Each provider has a name and a version number, and is configured in each runtime it is installed in.

There is a default provider that comes standard with the JDK. It is called the Sun Security Provider.

To register a provider, you must

Create a subclass of this Provider class. The constructor of the subclass must set the values of various properties that are required for the JavaSecurity API to look up the algorithms or other facilities implemented by the provider. That is, it must specify the names of the classes implementing the algorithms. For example, for each signature algorithm implemented by a provider, there must be a property named
Sig.algName
(where algName is the name of the algorithm) whose value is the name of the class implementing the algorithm. (See algorithm names for the standard algorithm names to be used.)
As an example, the Sun Security Provider implements a Digital Signature Algorithm (DSA) in a class named DSA in the sun.security.provider package. So its subclass of Provider (which is sun.security.provider.Sun) sets the Sig.DSA property via the following:
put("Sig.DSA", "sun.security.provider.DSA")

Note: The Provider subclass can get its information from wherever it wants. Thus, the information can be hard-wired in, or retrieved at runtime, e.g., from a file.
Specify the Provider subclass name and priority in the java.security file in java.home/lib/security. For example, the Sun Security Provider's subclass named Sun is specified via
security.provider.1=sun.security.provider.Sun
(The number 1 is used for the default provider.)

See the "Security Package Providers" section in Security in JDK1.1 for more information.

Provider(String, double, String): Constructs a provider with the specified name and version number.

getInfo(): Returns a human-readable description of the provider and its services.
getName(): Returns the name of this provider.
getVersion(): Returns the version number for this provider.
toString(): Returns a printable string with the name and the version number for this provider.

Provider

  protected Provider(String name,
                     double version,
                     String info)

Constructs a provider with the specified name and version number.

Parameters:: name - the provider name.; version - the provider version number.

getName

  public String getName()

Returns the name of this provider.

Returns:: the name of this provider.

getVersion

  public double getVersion()

Returns the version number for this provider.

Returns:: the version number for this provider.

getInfo

  public String getInfo()

Returns a human-readable description of the provider and its services. This may return an HTML page, with relevant links.

Returns:: a description of the provider and its services.

toString

  public String toString()

Returns a printable string with the name and the version number for this provider.

Returns:: the string with the name and the version number for this provider.
Overrides:: toString in class Hashtable

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