1 /*
2 * Copyright 2000-2001 Sun Microsystems, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
3 * DO NOT ALTER OR REMOVE COPYRIGHT NOTICES OR THIS FILE HEADER.
4 *
5 * This code is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it
6 * under the terms of the GNU General Public License version 2 only, as
7 * published by the Free Software Foundation. Sun designates this
8 * particular file as subject to the "Classpath" exception as provided
9 * by Sun in the LICENSE file that accompanied this code.
10 *
11 * This code is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT
12 * ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or
13 * FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the GNU General Public License
14 * version 2 for more details (a copy is included in the LICENSE file that
15 * accompanied this code).
16 *
17 * You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License version
18 * 2 along with this work; if not, write to the Free Software Foundation,
19 * Inc., 51 Franklin St, Fifth Floor, Boston, MA 02110-1301 USA.
20 *
21 * Please contact Sun Microsystems, Inc., 4150 Network Circle, Santa Clara,
22 * CA 95054 USA or visit www.sun.com if you need additional information or
23 * have any questions.
24 */
25
26 package java.security.cert;
27
28 /**
29 * A specification of <code>CertStore</code> parameters.
30 * <p>
31 * The purpose of this interface is to group (and provide type safety for)
32 * all <code>CertStore</code> parameter specifications. All
33 * <code>CertStore</code> parameter specifications must implement this
34 * interface.
35 * <p>
36 * Typically, a <code>CertStoreParameters</code> object is passed as a parameter
37 * to one of the {@link CertStore#getInstance CertStore.getInstance} methods.
38 * The <code>getInstance</code> method returns a <code>CertStore</code> that
39 * is used for retrieving <code>Certificate</code>s and <code>CRL</code>s. The
40 * <code>CertStore</code> that is returned is initialized with the specified
41 * parameters. The type of parameters needed may vary between different types
42 * of <code>CertStore</code>s.
43 *
44 * @see CertStore#getInstance
45 *
46 * @since 1.4
47 * @author Steve Hanna
48 */
49 public interface CertStoreParameters extends Cloneable {
50
51 /**
52 * Makes a copy of this <code>CertStoreParameters</code>.
53 * <p>
54 * The precise meaning of "copy" may depend on the class of
55 * the <code>CertStoreParameters</code> object. A typical implementation
56 * performs a "deep copy" of this object, but this is not an absolute
57 * requirement. Some implementations may perform a "shallow copy" of some
58 * or all of the fields of this object.
59 * <p>
60 * Note that the <code>CertStore.getInstance</code> methods make a copy
61 * of the specified <code>CertStoreParameters</code>. A deep copy
62 * implementation of <code>clone</code> is safer and more robust, as it
63 * prevents the caller from corrupting a shared <code>CertStore</code> by
64 * subsequently modifying the contents of its initialization parameters.
65 * However, a shallow copy implementation of <code>clone</code> is more
66 * appropriate for applications that need to hold a reference to a
67 * parameter contained in the <code>CertStoreParameters</code>. For example,
68 * a shallow copy clone allows an application to release the resources of
69 * a particular <code>CertStore</code> initialization parameter immediately,
70 * rather than waiting for the garbage collection mechanism. This should
71 * be done with the utmost care, since the <code>CertStore</code> may still
72 * be in use by other threads.
73 * <p>
74 * Each subclass should state the precise behavior of this method so
75 * that users and developers know what to expect.
76 *
77 * @return a copy of this <code>CertStoreParameters</code>
78 */
79 Object clone();
80 }
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