try {
            ByteArrayOutputStream bos = new ByteArrayOutputStream();
            ASN1OutputStream dos = ASN1OutputStream.create(bos, ASN1Encoding.DER);
            dos.writeObject(new DERSequence(mechs));
            dos.close();
            return bos.toByteArray();
        }
        catch ( IOException e ) {
            throw new CIFSException("Failed to encode mechList", e);
        }

        }

        @Override
        public void writeExternal(final ObjectOutput s) throws IOException {
            s.writeInt(hashCode);
            s.writeObject(key);
            s.writeObject(value);
            s.writeObject(next);
        }

        @SuppressWarnings("unchecked")
        @Override
        public void readExternal(final ObjectInput s) throws IOException, ClassNotFoundException {

    }

    @Override
    public void writeExternal(final ObjectOutput s) throws IOException {
        s.writeInt(size);
        for (Entry e = header.next; e != header; e = e.next) {
            s.writeObject(e.element);
        }
    }

    @SuppressWarnings("unchecked")
    @Override
    public void readExternal(final ObjectInput s) throws IOException, ClassNotFoundException {