Using the adapter

Use the MIME Adapter to package, on output, and decode, on input, generic MIME messages. The adapter does not handle the transporting of messages. A transport adapter, such as HTTP, performs this action.

The MIME Adapter uses S/MIME, OpenPGP or another encoder to encode parts of the message and to handle signatures. Hence, the adapter directly invokes the S/MIME, OpenPGP or another encoder for this purpose.

The MIME Adapter gets its instructions for encryption, decryption, signing and verifying from within the header of the message parts, and additionally from the -SESSION command line.

The data mapped to an output card includes commands for encryption in the <Header> element of the message part. The MIME Adapter invokes the specified encoder and passes the specified commands to that encoder. Typically, this encoder is either the S/MIME or OpenPGP adapter.