QSM SMI — Security Module Interface
The QSM Security Module Interface (SMI) is a suit of programs for IBM mainframes that provides banks, credit card processors and other financial institutions a convenient and efficient interface to hardware security modules, such as the Thales (RACAL) RG7x00 and RG8000 and the Algorithmic Research Inc. (AR) PrivateServer. SMI supports current magnetic card related function and offers a smooth and cost effective migration path to support new card standards such as TDES, EMV, CEPS, unique keys and remote key loading. SMI provides CICS screens and a functional CICS application programming interface (API). The API allows multiple applications, written in COBOL, C and other languages, either CICS or batch, to use the security module in a device independent manner, without concern for the specific operation codes, message layouts and return codes. SMI converts the requested function into the required series of messages or low-level API calls, and converts the responses obtained from the security module to the API format.