Card Technology--Card application design

Capture the Smart Card Technology Class in 13th.

Smart card application.
This class we talked about the life cycle of a Smart card application.

1. System purpose
2. System requirement
3. Software requirement and specification
    Software specification is actually link with your hardware specification, hardware specification is the card specification. First what card do you use?
    For example, software for Mifare Classic, Mifare Plus, Mifare Desfire card can be very different.
    Here is a comparison of these three types of cards:
 

 

*Copy right of NXP

The fundamental different? Desfire is a CPU card, the card is based on microprocessor and embedded with a card operation system--the Mifare DESFire operating system, it is like a micro-computer with an dedicated OS. While the Mifare plus and classics are classic smart card--card with embedded integrated circuit chip. 

Mifare one is a static filing structure, that means the file is stored in a fixed location which can be found on the main directory file. The access condition is quite straight forward, either you match on of the key of the field, either you match both of the key. On Mifare Desfire, the files are allocated according to application and each application can control its data file access condition. 

Besides, Mifare DesFire allows a whole more application level, data level commands then Mifare Class, offering a secured, and stronger platform for vendor and card issuer to integrate multiple applications.

Unlike PC industry which is dominated by one or two giant company, card industry offer various card type(technology), and card operation system, which has a strong link with the software on top. Card system designer should consider which card technology is applied when then design the system.

4. Development Model

Moving forward, the professor talked about the software development models: the straight forward but not neccesarily most efficient one—linear development model; The most familiar one---V model; The model widely used in R&S—prototype development model; The most popular commercial use model---Evolutionary and incremental model.

Talking about the development model, the professor mentioned the software development experience in his university. “The most important one is, you will adapt which development model, and why? You need to argue.” This is not only related to your product/project, actually it involves a corporation level topic: which model allows the best benefit for the corporation?

 For example, the most economic one should be the evolutionary model because it improves the system progressively, this can keep the risk, man power, time cost down. Of course if the requirement does not change a lot you can just modify the current system, but if the requirement change a lot, or you want to pursue higher efficiency/performance system, you may need to start over and the development model should fall within linear or Vmodel.

So actually there is no “best model”, different development model suit different situation.

Wanna know more about Mifare? Check the below website out:

Classic: http://www.nxp.com/products/identification_and_security/smart_card_ics/mifare_smart_card_ics/mifare_classic/

Desfire: http://www.nxp.com/products/identification_and_security/smart_card_ics/mifare_smart_card_ics/mifare_desfire/