A SmartCard is a chip card similar to a phone card or money card. Although our ACOS SmartCards with EEPROM chip are more expensive than customary magnetic cards, which are only equipped with a simple memory chip, they provide some undeniable advantages you do not want to miss:
- Copy-proof and protected against fraudulent use
- Can be used in combination with any customary SmartCard reader compatible to Microsoft's SmartCard API
- No server necessary for synchronizing data
- 1 kb of card memory
- You can erase and rewrite data as often as you like
- Extremely high reading/writing speed
- Allows you to recharge the cards by means of a charging terminal
- Detailed information on the ACOS cards
For further information about appearance, functionality, size, and prices please refer to our web pages.
Quick links:
System Requirements
Hardware
- A SmardCard reader that supports Microsoft's SmardCard API, which most devices do these days.
Unless you order a different model, we will supply the ACG Omnikey cardman3121 (Driver cardman3121.exe) for Win98/Win2000/WinMe/NT/XP
- A Master(Key) Card containing your personal code
(can only be obtained from us)
- Crypto cards (SmartCards) for your customers
(can only be obtained from us)
- A free USB port
(you can also use other SmardCard readers that are, for example, used with the COM port)
- At least 64 MB of RAM, 128 MB recommended
Software
- min. Win98/ME/NT/2000/XP (Windows2000/XP recommended)
- Internet Explorer 5.5 or higher
- SiteKiosk PAYMENT BUNDLE
- SiteKiosk SmartCard Administration Tool
(will automatically be installed along with the Payment Bundle)
- If you work under Win98/NT/ME you will need Microsoft's SmartCard Libraries (scbase.exe) and (smclib.exe)
Warning:
Do not install these drivers on Windows 2000 or XP under any circumstances! If you work with either of these two operating systems, these components will be installed automatically together with the SmartCard drivers PROVISIO supplied you with.
- Drivers for the external SmartCard hardware
model Omnikey cardman3121 (Driver cardman3121.exe) for Win98/NT/WinME/Win2000/XP
Installing the Hardware
Installing SmartCard Base Components under Win98/ME/NT
If you work with Win98/NT/ME, you will have to install Microsoft's SmartCard Base Components before you can install the drivers needed for using the SmardCard reader.
Warning:
As they come pre-installed under Windows 2000 and XP, you must not overwrite these components by installing the components mentioned above!
These files are the Base Components:
You can download these files directly by clicking on the following link.
Installing the SmartCard drivers
Install the SmardCard device according to the manufacturer's instructions. Please note that we cannot grant any guarantee or support for third-party devices.
Note:
Read the notes on TOWITOKO devices under "Troubleshooting".
Unless you order a different model, PROVISIO will supply the ACG Omnikey Cardman 3121 model (for Win98/Win2000/WinMe/NT/XP).
You will find the driver under http://www.sitekiosk.com in the section download -> drivers. The driver can be used with Win98/Win2000/XP/WinMe/NT!
Payment Module installed correctly?
You should be able to find the reader "Smart Card: ACOS1" in SiteKiosk's Configuration Wizard. The device has to appear in the "List of Available Payment Module Devices".
Note:
If this is not the case, please refer to "Troubleshooting".
Configuring the Payment Module
In general
After installing SiteKiosk and connecting the payment hardware to your computer, you can now configure the device with the help of the configuration wizard.
Look for the the entry "Smart Card: ACOS1" in the list of available devices. If the device is not available, please read through "Installing the Hardware" once again.
To make sure that only the SmartCards you issued will work on your terminal, you will first have to unlock your terminal ONCE by means of your MasterCard. In order to do so, select the button "Configure".
Follow the instructions displayed in the dialog box.
If the dataset stored on the MasterCard was read successfully, you will see a corresponding notification under "Status".
If you want to read in a new dataset from a MasterCard, the old dataset will have to be reset first. This will be necessary, for example, if you have created new SmartCards with a different MasterCard and you only want to use these new cards.
Note:
Make sure that the administration tool SmardCard.exe is not open at the same time. This could prevent the MasterCard-data from being read in successfully.
After this, you can activate the device by selecting the option "Activate smart card support" or by selecting this device in the list of available devices and clicking on Activate.
You can tell by the green icon next to its entry in the list that the device has been activated.
Enable currency conversion table
When using the SmartCard administration tool, you can determine how many units of a certain currency are supposed to be stored on the card. To provide for the correct conversion of the balance available on the cards on the day of the EURO conversion, you will only have to enable the currency conversion table. As soon as you change the currency symbol to EURO under Advanced/Currency Options, DM 1.00 will now automatically be converted into € 0.51.
The table already contains countries being part of the EURO zone. If you want to use the same cards in different countries, you can have let the software calculate any conversion you need. Thus, you will, for example, be able to use cards issued in the USA in Canada as well because the units stored on the card will automatically be converted into the required currency.
Grant write permissions to scripts
With the help of the function CREDIT you can allow your customers to recharge their cards by means of a standalone terminal (charging automat). For more information, please click here..>
For security reasons, you ought to make sure to turn off this function for individual clients.
Troubleshooting
"Smart Card: ACOS1" not available
If you work under Win98/ME/NT, you might come across the problem that "Smart Card: ACOS1" was not installed even though you have selected the Payment Bundle. This will be due to the missing "SmartCard Base Components".
- Install these components as described above.
- Restart SiteKiosk's installation file "sitekiosk.exe".
- Select "Add" and choose the SmardCard components in order to install them now.
TOWITOKO READER is not being detected or not working properly.
Sometimes the system does not correctly detect the readers produced by Towitoko (now Chipdrive). If you come across this problem, open the "SmartCard Explorer" Towitoko delivered together with the reader and explicitly select the COM port to which the device is connected.
Another problem is that sometimes the readers from Towitoko stop working. We have not yet investigated whether the problem lies in the hardware or in Towitoko's driver. The problem with the reader is that it looses power unexpectedly without sending a notification to the Windows smartcard API. Since the ACOS cards have session-based keys, old keys become invalid and any further debiting attempt fails once the card powered down and up again. Our test team reported that the problem occurs more frequently when a flash-site is displayed or a DX-Game runs: Perhaps the problem is somehow related to CPU-usage - probably the Towitoko readers require a very strict send/receive protocol which times out when cpu usage is getting near 100%.
ACR30 USB - Computer is not booting
- Some computers will not boot with the USB reader plugged in. This is usually due to the fact that the PSU is too weak.
Information on the ACOS Cards
ACOS security features
- Digital Encryption Standard (DES) -- Ciphering is used in this mode of protection, which is like translating the information into some unknown foreign language, so the stored information can be transmitted confidentially. Simple DES or Triple DES versions are both available.
- Message Authentication Capability (MAC) -- This is based on the exchange and mutual verification of secret passwords [keys] between the card and the card-accepting device. The whole verification process is done within the device and information is never transmitted outside during the process, making eavesdropping virtually impossible.
- Enforced Message Authentication with random numbers and dedicated key pair.
- Continuous system integrity checks guarding against attempted security breaches.
- Five secret codes + Issuer Code + Pin to selectively enable access to data stored in card and to features and functions provided by the card e.g. the READ and WRITE commands.
- Account Transaction Processing (ATP) provides dedicated data structure for payment applications with CREDIT, DEBIT, INQUIRE ACCOUNT commands for secure transaction processing.
Other features
- Issuer definable file structure for convenient and efficient memory management.
- Users can choose single DES or triple DES for encryption algorithm.
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