Installing smart card reader drivers

Q: The location where smart card reader drivers are installed apparently changed, but the pcscd man page still says to install drivers in /usr/local/pcsc/drivers. Where should these drivers be installed?

A: Starting with Mac OS X Jaguar (10.2), smart card reader drivers should be installed in /usr/libexec/SmartCardServices/drivers/. The pcscd man page contains outdated information and should be updated in a future release (r. 3743872).

Q: After installing a smart card reader driver, do I need to modify /etc/reader.conf in order for the system to find the driver?

A: No. The version of pcscd on Mac OS X can extract the reader information from the driver bundles themselves. The information in the pcscd man page will be updated in a future release.

Q: Do I need to download pcsc-lite and install it for smart cards to work on Mac OS X?

A: No. The necessary components are installed as part of Mac OS X starting with Jaguar (10.2). In fact, installing a downloaded version of pcsc-lite will replace Apple-supplied components and will likely prevent smart card services from functioning properly.

Document Revision History

DateNotes
2004-08-30Updates obsolete information contained in the pcscd(8) man page on Mac OS X Jaguar and Panther.

Posted: 2004-08-30

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