Crypt-IDA version 0.01
======================

The Crypt::IDA module implements Rabin's Information Dispersal
Algorithm. This is what's known as a "threshold system": a secret is
divided into n shares with the property that any k (the "quorum" or
"threshold") of those shares (with k <= n) can be combined at a later
time to reconstruct the secret. The algorithm should be
cryptographically secure in the sense that if fewer shares than the
quorum k are presented, no information about the secret is revealed.

The module uses Math::FastGF2 to efficiently implement the algorithm,
making it suitable for securely sharing/distributing even large files.

The Crypt::IDA::ShareFile module implements a file format for
creating, storing and distributing shares created with Crypt::IDA.

This is the initial release.

INSTALLATION

To install this module type the following:

   perl Makefile.PL
   make
   make test
   make install

DEPENDENCIES

This module requires these other modules and libraries:

  Math::FastGF2
  Math::FastGF2::Matrix

COPYRIGHT AND LICENCE

Copyright (C) 2009 by Declan Malone

       This package is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it
       under the terms of version 2 (or, at your discretion, any later
       version) of the "GNU General Public License" ("GPL").

       Please refer to the file "GNU_GPL.txt" in this distribution for
       details.

DISCLAIMER
       This package is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but
       WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
       MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.


