miscnote.txt -- Mark Riordan   mrr@scss3.cl.msu.edu   6 December 1992

Miscellaneous notes on this distribution of RIPEM.

WHAT IS HERE

The full source to the RIPEM main program is here.  All of the
source to the key server is here, except for the GNU gdbm package,
which is widely available from the usual GNU FTP sites.  (cf.
gatekeeper.dec.com, /.1/GNU, for instance.)  I include the source
to RSAREF, which can now be distributed freely (read the license).


WHAT I'D LIKE FROM YOU

For the User's Guide, I am looking for more tips on how to use
RIPEM with various mail packages.

Ports to other platforms would be gratefully accepted.


MISCELLANEOUS COMMENTS ON THE CONTENTS OF THIS PACKAGE

Filenames in the package tend to be in all lower case, with short
names to ease porting to/from MS-DOS.

All files assume tabs every 3 columns.  My Unix .exrc file reads
"set tabstop=3 shiftwidth=3".

RIPEM (optionally) uses UDP socket communication to talk to the
key server.  I've found this to be pretty portable amoung various
Unix implementations.  The socket code also works on PC's running
FTP Software Inc.'s PC/TCP package.  To compile and link on a PC
with the socket code enabled, though, you'll need the PC/TCP
Programmer's Toolkit.  If you have PC/TCP but not the toolkit,
contact me and I'll send you a .EXE file.

The key management routines contain some duplicated functionality,
especially between keyman.c and pubinfo.c.  This reflects some
design changes and indecision during the development of the key
server.  There's a good chance I'll never get around to cleaning
this up.