BN_CTX_new(3)

     BN_CTX_new(3)          0.9.6h (2002-09-25)          BN_CTX_new(3)

     NAME
          BN_CTX_new, BN_CTX_init, BN_CTX_free - allocate and free
          BN_CTX structures

     SYNOPSIS
           #include <openssl/bn.h>

           BN_CTX *BN_CTX_new(void);

           void BN_CTX_init(BN_CTX *c);

           void BN_CTX_free(BN_CTX *c);

     DESCRIPTION
          A BN_CTX is a structure that holds BIGNUM temporary
          variables used by library functions. Since dynamic memory
          allocation to create BIGNUMs is rather expensive when used
          in conjunction with repeated subroutine calls, the BN_CTX
          structure is used.

          BN_CTX_new() allocates and initializes a BN_CTX structure.
          BN_CTX_init() initializes an existing uninitialized BN_CTX.

          BN_CTX_free() frees the components of the BN_CTX, and if it
          was created by BN_CTX_new(), also the structure itself.  If
          BN_CTX_start(3) has been used on the BN_CTX, BN_CTX_end(3)
          must be called before the BN_CTX may be freed by
          BN_CTX_free().

     RETURN VALUES
          BN_CTX_new() returns a pointer to the BN_CTX. If the
          allocation fails, it returns NULL and sets an error code
          that can be obtained by ERR_get_error(3).

          BN_CTX_init() and BN_CTX_free() have no return values.

     SEE ALSO
          bn(3), ERR_get_error(3), BN_add(3), BN_CTX_start(3)

     HISTORY
          BN_CTX_new() and BN_CTX_free() are available in all versions
          on SSLeay and OpenSSL. BN_CTX_init() was added in SSLeay
          0.9.1b.

     Page 1                                         (printed 1/19/103)