Patent ID: 7751559
Filing Date: 2010-07-06
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
1. A method, comprising: generating, by a cryptographic key generator that is maintained in a host containing a processor, a symmetric cryptographic key; encrypting, by the cryptographic key generator, the symmetric cryptographic key with a session key that is available to both the cryptographic key generator and a cryptographic unit that is maintained in a storage drive of a storage library_having a library_controller and an autochanger mechanism to transfer removable storage media accessible to the storage drive; transmitting the encrypted symmetric cryptographic key across a link from the cryptographic key generator to the cryptographic unit; decrypting the encrypted symmetric cryptographic key with a copy of the session key stored at the cryptographic unit to generate the symmetric cryptographic key and encrypting data with the symmetric cryptographic key to store in the removable storage media; and writing, by the cryptographic unit, the generated symmetric cryptographic key to a write only register; wherein the write only register is inaccessible to entities that are external to the cryptographic unit; and loading a new symmetric cryptographic key into the cryptographic unit by overwriting the write only register in which the generated symmetric cryptographic key has been written with the new symmetric cryptographic key.