/*
 * DO NOT ALTER OR REMOVE COPYRIGHT NOTICES OR THIS HEADER.
 * 
 * Copyright 1997-2007 Sun Microsystems, Inc. All rights reserved.
 * 
 * The contents of this file are subject to the terms of either the GNU
 * General Public License Version 2 only ("GPL") or the Common Development
 * and Distribution License("CDDL") (collectively, the "License").  You
 * may not use this file except in compliance with the License. You can obtain
 * a copy of the License at https://glassfish.dev.java.net/public/CDDL+GPL.html
 * or glassfish/bootstrap/legal/LICENSE.txt.  See the License for the specific
 * language governing permissions and limitations under the License.
 * 
 * When distributing the software, include this License Header Notice in each
 * file and include the License file at glassfish/bootstrap/legal/LICENSE.txt.
 * Sun designates this particular file as subject to the "Classpath" exception
 * as provided by Sun in the GPL Version 2 section of the License file that
 * accompanied this code.  If applicable, add the following below the License
 * Header, with the fields enclosed by brackets [] replaced by your own
 * identifying information: "Portions Copyrighted [year]
 * [name of copyright owner]"
 * 
 * Contributor(s):
 * 
 * If you wish your version of this file to be governed by only the CDDL or
 * only the GPL Version 2, indicate your decision by adding "[Contributor]
 * elects to include this software in this distribution under the [CDDL or GPL
 * Version 2] license."  If you don't indicate a single choice of license, a
 * recipient has the option to distribute your version of this file under
 * either the CDDL, the GPL Version 2 or to extend the choice of license to
 * its licensees as provided above.  However, if you add GPL Version 2 code
 * and therefore, elected the GPL Version 2 license, then the option applies
 * only if the new code is made subject to such option by the copyright
 * holder.
 */

package javax.security.auth.message.config;

import javax.security.auth.message.*;

// just for @see tag
import javax.security.auth.message.module.ClientAuthModule;

/**
 * This ClientAuthContext class encapsulates ClientAuthModules that are used
 * to secure service requests made by a client, and to validate any responses
 * received to those requests. A caller typically uses this class
 * in the following manner:
 *
 * <ol>
 * <li> Retrieve an instance of this class by using
 *	ClientAuthConfig.getAuthContext.
 * <li> Invoke <i>secureRequest</i>.
 *	<br>
 *	ClientAuthContext implementation invokes secureRequest of one or more encapsulated
 *	ClientAuthModules.  Modules might attach credentials to
 *	request (for example, a user name and password),
 *	and/or secure the request (for example, sign and encrypt the request).
 * <li> Send request and receive response.
 * <li> Invoke <i>validateResponse</i>.
 *	<br>
 *	ClientAuthContext implementation invokes validateResponse of 
 *      one or more encapsulated
 *	ClientAuthModules. Modules verify or decrypt response as necessary.
 * <li> Invoke <i>cleanSubject</i> method (as necessary)
 *	to clean up any authentication state in Subject.
 * </ol>
 * 
 * <p> A ClientAuthContext instance may be used concurrently by multiple
 * callers.
 *
 * <p> Implementations of this interface are responsible for constructing
 * and initializing the encapsulated modules.  The initialization step
 * includes passing the relevant request and response MessagePolicy objects
 * to the encapsulated modules.  The MessagePolicy objects are obtained
 * by the ClientAuthConfig instance used to obtain the ClientAuthContext 
 * object.
 * See <code>ClientAuthConfig.getAuthContext</code> for more information.
 *
 * <p> Implementations of this interface are instantiated by their associated
 * configuration object such that they know which modules to invoke, in what 
 * order, and how results returned by preceding modules are to influence 
 * subsequent module invocations.
 *
 * <p> Calls to the inherited methods of this interface delegate to the
 * corresponding methods of the encapsulated authentication modules.
 *
 * @version %I%, %G%
 * @see ClientAuthConfig
 * @see ClientAuthModule
 */
public interface ClientAuthContext extends ClientAuth {

}