Message-Id: <s54e5fdf.064@novell.com>
Date: Tue, 05 May 1998 00:39:10 -0600
From: "Vishal Goenka" <vgoenka@novell.com>
To: java-security@web2.javasoft.com
Subject: Secret Keys
There are separate interfaces for PublicKey and PrivateKey, but none for =
Symmetric Secret Keys. KeyFactory has methods to generate Public/Private =
Keys from corresponding KeySpecs, how does a provider of Secret Key fit =
his generate Symmetric Secret Key from a corresponding KeySpec in this =
model.=20
One work around could be to declare=20
public interface SecretKey implements PublicKey, PrivateKey { }
Another would be more significant work consisting of defining=20
public interface SecretKey extends Key { }
followed with introducing methods in KeyFactory (and its Spi)=20
public SecretKey generateSecretKey(KeySpec spec).
Also, there is a KeyPairGenerator class to generate a pair of public/privat=
e keys, but nothing like KeyGenerator to generate Symmetric Secret Keys.
I'm surely missing something important here, since this can't be a design =
flaw, I'm sure.
Please enlighten me on this.
Regards,
Vishal Goenka
Novell.