Subject: Java CertPath API now available in J2SE 1.4 beta

From: Sean Mullan <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 25 May 2001 11:59:55 +0100

I would like to bring to your attention for a moment the
just-released J2SE (Java 2 Standard Edition) 1.4 Beta release:

  http://java.sun.com/j2se/1.4/index.html

This includes the current version of the CertPath API and
Reference Implementation. This is a proposed standard 
Java API for building and validating certification paths 
that is being developed using the Java Community Process. See 
http://java.sun.com/jcp/jsr/jsr_055_certp.html for the latest
status.

The CertPath API (developed as an extension of the 
java.security.cert package) includes classes for 
representing, building and validating certification paths. 
The API is very extensible. It allows you to plug in 
implementations of standard certification path algorithms,
types and certificate repositories using the Java Cryptography 
Architecture. It also allows you to extend the PKIX validation 
algorithm by implementing callback classes to handle private
extensions or an alternate revocation checking mechanism, for
example. 

The reference implementation of the APIs included in the beta
release includes an implementation of the PKIX certification path 
validation algorithm and also includes support for retrieving 
certificates and CRLs using LDAP (using the schema defined in RFC 
2587) or a simpler Collection.

Please see the beta release notes for a couple of known problems
that will be addressed in the next update. Also, see the
Programmer's Guide 
(http://java.sun.com/j2se/1.4/docs/guide/security/certpath/CertPathProgGuide.html)
for an overview and examples of using the API. We hope you find 
these APIs to be well designed and flexible. Please submit any feedback
to the "[email-masked]" or "[email-masked]"
aliases.

Thanks,
Sean