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README.ENGINE

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+
+  ENGINE
+  ======
+
+  With OpenSSL 0.9.6, a new component has been added to support external 
+  crypto devices, for example accelerator cards.  The component is called
+  ENGINE, and has still a pretty experimental status and almost no
+  documentation.  It's designed to be faily easily extensible by the
+  calling programs.
+
+  There's currently built-in support for the following crypto devices:
+
+      o CryptoSwift
+      o Compaq Atalla
+      o nCipher CHIL
+
+  A number of things are still needed and are being worked on:
+
+      o An openssl utility command to handle or at least check available
+        engines.
+      o A better way of handling the methods that are handled by the
+        engines.
+      o Documentation!
+
+  What already exists is fairly stable as far as it has been tested, but
+  the test base has been a bit small most of the time.
+
+  Because of this experimental status and what's lacking, the ENGINE
+  component is not yet part of the default OpenSSL distribution.  However,
+  we have made a separate kit for those who want to try this out, to be
+  found in the same places as the default OpenSSL distribution, but with
+  "-engine-" being part of the kit file name.  For example, version 0.9.6
+  is distributed in the following two files:
+
+      openssl-0.9.6.tar.gz
+      openssl-engine-0.9.6.tar.gz
+
+  NOTES
+  =====
+
+  openssl-engine-0.9.6.tar.gz does not depend on openssl-0.9.6.tar, you do
+  not need to download both.
+
+  openssl-engine-0.9.6.tar.gz is usable even if you don't have an external
+  crypto device.  The internal OpenSSL functions are contained in the
+  engine "openssl", and will be used by default.
+
+  No external crypto device is chosen unless you say so.  You have actively
+  tell the openssl utility commands to use it through a new command line
+  switch called "-engine".  And if you want to use the ENGINE library to
+  do something similar, you must also explicitely choose an external crypto
+  device, or the built-in crypto routines will be used, just as in the
+  default OpenSSL distribution.
+