<p>EC_GROUP_get_field_type() identifies what type of field the EC_GROUP structure supports, which will be either F2^m or Fp.</p>

<p>The function EC_GROUP_check_discriminant() calculates the discriminant for the curve and verifies that it is valid. For a curve defined over Fp the discriminant is given by the formula 4*a^3 + 27*b^2 whilst for F2^m curves the discriminant is simply b. In either case for the curve to be valid the discriminant must be non zero.</p>

<p>The function EC_GROUP_check() behaves in t