Cornell University
Computer Science Department
Masters of Engineering Project
Spring 1998
Han-Yang Lo
Sanjeev Topiwala
Joyce Wang
with
assistance from Keith Sollers
Under the supervision of:
Professor Fred B. Schneider
last
modified: Thursday, 4/23/98
Merchant User Manual
To begin using the V-óa$h software, you will need an account at the central V-óa$h bank. You can get set up for on-line purchasing at any time. Upon request, the bank will provide you with the necessary software, which is downloadable from the bank's FTP server or available directly from the bank. The instructions for establishing a purchasing account are provided in this Merchant User Manual. In addition to the software provided to you by the bank, you will also receive documentation and a public/private keypair to use in your transactions with the bank. A PIN number to access the keypair will be sent to you at your home address or given to you at the bank when you request the software.
You can request the software from the bank, or download it from the bank's FTP server. The download will include documentation and an encrypted public/private keypair. You will not be able to access the software or the keypair without the PIN (not implemented). This will be sent to you via US Postal Mail to the address you specify when setting up your account.
To install the software, create a new directory for V-óa$h banking on your hard drive. Extract the files into this directory. You will need the 10 digit PIN received in the mail to use the public and private keys which identify you to the bank. Without this PIN, you will be unable to verify the coins spent by consumers or deposit this money into your account. You will also be unable to setup the V-óa$h software.
Fill out the electronic registration included in the software package, and send it to the bank. You will need to include your account number and public key information. The bank will reply with a set of challenge questions, which you should answer and return to the bank. At this time, if all is well, you will have completed the inital setup of your V-Cash software. (The electronic registration has not been implemented. In addition, the PIN functionality will not be provided by April 27. 4/26/98)
Currently, merchants are unable to use the withdraw and deposit features available to consumers on the Consumer V-óa$h software. This functionality may be added in future versions of V-óa$h. The merchant software can accept coins from the consumer, and send them to the bank for verification. If the coins are verified, your account will be credited with the amount. If the coins do not verify, the software will inform the consumer and disconnect. Your account will not be credited, so you need not provide the service or item to the consumer. Remember, all transactions are logged.
We don't provide documentation on basic HTML. However, there are some guidelines for setting up a purchasing page using the V-óa$h software. The consumer must be able to access the IP address and port number where the merchant server is running. In addition, the consumer must be able to access your public key and the price of the purchase. For more detailed instructions, read the Setting Up The Purchasing Page document for merchants.
The merchant logs include:
Specifications
Design
Documentation
Consumer User Manual
Merchant User Manual
Bank User Manual
Demonstration
of V-óa$h