FAQ
Frequently asked questions.
Consult the FAQ if you experience problems following our Howtos.
FAQ
Question: The card reader works for root, but as user I get an error message like
gpg: pcsc_establish_context failed: no service (0x8010001d) gpg: card reader not available
Answer:
Please check that you have installed the scripts to set the permissions correctly, which are referenced in the howtos.
Also, on some udev based systems, USB card readers get an entry under /proc/bus/usb/XXX/YYY and /dev/bus/usb/XXX/YYY. If the script only sets permissions right on /proc/bus/usb/XXX/YYY, but gpg will try to access /dev/bus/usb/XXX/YYY, you will get this problem.
Question: I get the following error message:
gpg: apdu_open_reader: failed to open driver `libpcsclite.so': libpcsclite.so: cannot open shared object file: No such file or directory gpg: card reader not available gpg: OpenPGP card not available: general error
Answer:
Install the "libpcsclite1" package.
Using Debian, do that by becoming root and typing
$ apt-get install libpcsclite1
On Debian Sarge, you'll probably have to create a symbolic link:
$ ln -si /usr/lib/libpcsclite.so.1 /usr/lib/libpcsclite.so
Using Ubuntu, type
$ sudo apt-get install libpcsclite1
Question: I can't edit the content of my card (e.g. by "gpg --card-edit")
Answer:
On Ubuntu Hoary systems, as well as on other older systems, Hotplug functionality may not be working correctly. The gnupg-ccid script is not being called and executed. REMEDY: install hotplug package from debian release, e.g. sarge.
CAREFUL: This is going to replace libc6, one of the most central libraries of your system. Take extreme care to ensure that you install the same major version of libc6 as the one present on your machine - or else...
a) start a text editor and edit /etc/apt/sources.list to include debian. Add the following lines to the bottom of the file:
deb http://ftp.de.debian.org/debian/ sarge main deb-src http://ftp.de.debian.org/debian/ sarge main deb http://non-us.debian.org/debian-non-US/ testing/non-US main deb-src http://non-us.debian.org/debian-non-US/ testing/non-US main
b) Start aptitude, or another package manager of your choice, eg. Synaptic. The commands below are for aptitude.
We have a report that this will also install the basics of the KDE environment. This is harmless, but takes up a lot of diskspace and bandwidth. Please report to fellowship@fsfeurope.org if you find a solution.
# aptitude
and update the package information:
u
c) Search for the hotplug package:
/
hotplug
<return>
d)
<return>
scroll down, at bottom select non-ubuntu version with
+
e) prepare download:
g
f) check that no vital packages are being removed
g) download:
g
h) quit aptitude:
q
Then remove debian sources from /etc/apt/sources.list.
i) restart hotplug, so that the new version is running:
# /etc/init.d/hotplug restart
j) Test again that card reader is really working. You have to do this as your normal user (i.e., not root). With card inserted, do
$ gpg --card-edit
