PC/SC Architecture

The Interoperability Specification for ICCs and Personal Computer Systems (PC/SC) has been developed to ease the introduction of smart cards into the world of PCs. The main advantage of PC/SC is that applications do not have to be aware of the details regarding the smart card reader in order to communicate with the smart card. Moreover, the application can function with any reader complying with the PC/SC standard.

The PC/SC Workgroup is a committee, of which Gemplus is an active member, that is composed mainly of smart card and computer manufacturers. Microsoft has played an important role in the elaboration of these standards, due to the fact that the Windows platforms are the only ones which offer a smart card resource manager.

The following diagram shows the structure of the PC/SC architecture.

Smart Card Service Provider

Although the smart card service provider is optional, it can be very helpful because it provides a friendly and standard interface to smart cards. It is normally provided by the smart card manufacturer.

Smart Card Resource Manager

The smart card resource manager is the heart of the PC/SC architecture. Its strategic position in the flow of transactions between applications and smart cards allows for simultaneous access to a given reader. The smart card resource manager also uses its knowledge to help applications identify or locate smart cards. The result is simpler drivers and easier access.

The smart card resource manager combines the common parts of the smart card readers' drivers and applications into a set of reusable components. This reduces the overall cost of software development. The smart card resource manager is provided by the operating system manufacturer.

Smart Card Reader Driver

The smart card reader driver, provided by the manufacturer, translates the requests coming from the resource manager into the reader's language. It also chooses and sets the appropriate I/O channel to communicate with the smart card reader, and can manage more than one physical device. Potentially, there could be more than a driver attached to the smart card resource manager.