Patent ID: 7493486

Claim:
In a node operative within a network of a plurality of nodes, a method for performing cryptographic-related functions, comprising: executing an application program in a user space at the node; receiving an input requiring cryptographic-related processing; generating a message in the node via the application program based on the input, the message being the same as one of a predefined set of messages stored in the node and being processed by one of a plurality of cryptographic processing components located in a kernel space within the node, each one of said messages being associated with a respective one of said cryptographic-related functions; transmitting the message to one of a socket handler and a call handler in kernel space at the node to obtain a transmitted message; forwarding the transmitted message to a request handler at the node which generates a function call to the cryptographic processing component appropriate for the transmitted message; and performing the cryptographic-related processing by the cryptographic processing component appropriate for the transmitted message.