Overview
Crypto engines encrypt and decrypt data for service modules. Crypto engines include the following types:
Hardware crypto engines—A hardware crypto engine is a coprocessor integrated on a CPU or hardware crypto card. Hardware crypto engines can accelerate encryption/decryption speed, which improves device processing efficiency. By default, hardware crypto engines are enabled. You can disable hardware crypto engines globally by using the crypto-engine accelerator disable command.
Software crypto engines—A software crypto engine is a set of software encryption algorithms. The device uses software crypto engines to encrypt and decrypt data for service modules. They are always enabled. You cannot enable or disable software crypto engines.
If you disable hardware crypto engines, the device uses only software crypto engines for data encryption/decryption. If you enable hardware crypto engines, the device preferentially uses hardware crypto engines. If the device does not support hardware crypto engines, or if the hardware crypto engines do not support the required encryption algorithm, the device uses software crypto engines for data encryption/decryption.
Crypto engines provide encryption/decryption services for service modules, for example, the IPsec module. When a service module requires data encryption/decryption, it sends the desired data to a crypto engine. After the crypto engine completes data encryption/decryption, it sends the data back to the service module.