Features

• Public key encryption uses two different keys for encryption and decryption. The encryption key can be widely distributed and sent over public networks, because knowing the public key does not enable a third party to decrypt messages. Only a corresponding second key can decipher the encoded data and this must be kept private. Keyservers were created as a central store of public keys. Rather than asking the receiver for its key, the sender gets the receiver's key from a keyserver.
  
  

Function

• An HKP transaction is carried out in HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) format. When a client contacts the keyserver, it issues a request to a particular address. This address is followed by a number of variables that are written according to the HTTP convention. The standards include the possibility of searching the keyserver for a certificate. However, not all keyservers support this function.
  
  

Ownership

• The keyserver concept was patented by Network Associates, now McAfee. The company drives the development of the standard. The technology was originally developed by PGP Inc. and so keyservers are often called PGP keyservers.