linux-kernel - Re: entropy gathering (was Re: Why does reading from /dev/urandom deplete entropy so much?)

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Message-ID: <475AF8D0.1090407@garzik.org>
Date:	Sat, 08 Dec 2007 15:04:32 -0500
From:	Jeff Garzik <jeff@...zik.org>
To:	Matt Mackall <mpm@...enic.com>
CC:	Theodore Tso <tytso@....edu>, Mike McGrath <mmcgrath@...hat.com>,
	Jon Masters <jonathan@...masters.org>,
	Alan Cox <alan@...rguk.ukuu.org.uk>,
	Ray Lee <ray@...rabbit.org>, Adrian Bunk <bunk@...nel.org>,
	Marc Haber <mh+linux-kernel@...schlus.de>,
	linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org, hmh@...ian.org
Subject: Re: entropy gathering (was Re: Why does reading from /dev/urandom
 deplete entropy so much?)

Matt Mackall wrote:
> On Sat, Dec 08, 2007 at 02:36:33PM -0500, Jeff Garzik wrote:
>> As an aside...
>>
>> Speaking as the maintainer rng-tools, which is the home of the hardware 
>> RNG entropy gathering daemon...
>>
>> I wish somebody (not me) would take rngd and several other projects, and 
>> combine them into a single actively maintained "entropy gathering" package.
> 
> I think we should re-evaluate having an internal path from the hwrngs
> to /dev/[u]random, which will reduce the need for userspace config
> that can go wrong.

That's a bit of a tangent on a tangent.  :)  Most people don't have a 
hardware RNG.

But as long as there are adequate safeguards against common hardware 
failures (read: FIPS testing inside the kernel), go for it.

	Jeff



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