Glossary

Universal Time

Time in the e-Capsule™ Repository is always recorded in terms of "Universal Time" (abbreviated UT), which refers to the time kept on the Greenwich meridian (longitude zero), corresponding to London (UK) time and five hours ahead of the US Eastern Standard Time. Times in e-Capsule™ are always expressed in terms of a 24-hour clock. Thus, 14:30 is 2:30 pm, and 22:17 is 10:17 pm. Although server events are logged in terms of UT, the time displayed in all e-Capsule™ Explorer windows and dialogs is always expressed in terms of your local computer’s time zone settings.

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USB

A Universal Serial Bus (USB) is a plug-and-play interface between a computer and add-on external devices (such as audio players, keyboards, telephones, and printers). With USB, a new device can be added to a computer without having to add an adapter card or even having to turn the computer off.

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USB Access Token

In general, a token is an object that represents or is part of a larger system. The e-Capsule™ USB Access Token is a

security token (sometimes called an authentication token), i.e. a small hardware device that the owner carries with him

and uses to gain authorized access to the online service through a method known as

two-factor authentication.



The e-Capsule™ USB Access Token looks like a standard USB drive, similar to the commercial stick drives that once

plugged in the USB port of a PC allow users to store and carry files. However, the e-Capsule™ USB

Access Token has some special features that make it much more than a simple security token or removable memory device.



The e-Capsule™ USB Access Token is a multi-partitioned flash device. What this means in practice is that the flash

memory of the USB is divided into several separate areas which have special properties and that can be accessed

individually following different procedures.

Startup Area Here the user can find the application executables and any other files needed to start the online session. The data stored here can be easily accessed, just like with any standard USB device. However, it is impossible to modify or erase any files stored in this area. This implies that no viruses or malicious codes will ever be able to attack and infect the application codes.

Secret Area This area is invisible to the users and can be accessed only by the application. All the secret certificates and some working encryption/decryption keys are also stored in this area. However, no information is ever stored in clear format even in this secret partition.

Public Area This area is public in the sense that the data stored can be readily accessed and no limitation is imposed on what the user can do. This partition behaves under all aspects like a standard USB device storage area.