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1.1 Getting Started

This manual documents the Scute module, how it can be used for common applications supported by it, and how it can be extended and improved by programmers. It is thus a user manual as well as a developer manual.

The reader is assumed to possess basic knowledge about cryptography in general, and public key cryptography in particular. The underlying cryptographic engines that are used by the library are not explained, but where necessary, special features or requirements are provided.

This manual can be used in several ways. If read from the beginning to the end, it gives a good introduction into the module and how it can be used in an application. Forward references are included where necessary. Later on, the manual can be used as a reference manual to get just the information needed about any particular application of the module.