[PATCH] Documentation: hw_random: Fix issue related to feeding entropy pool

[PATCH] Documentation: hw_random: Fix issue related to feeding entropy pool

[PrasannaKumar Muralidharan]

There is no need to use rng-tools for feeding random data into kernel
entropy pool as hw_random core handles it. Documentation suggested that
rng-tools is required which is incorrect. So remove it.

Signed-off-by: PrasannaKumar Muralidharan <prasannatsmkumar@gmail.com>
---
 Documentation/hw_random.txt | 4 ----
 1 file changed, 4 deletions(-)

diff --git a/Documentation/hw_random.txt b/Documentation/hw_random.txt
index 121de96..46b2480 100644
--- a/Documentation/hw_random.txt
+++ b/Documentation/hw_random.txt
@@ -19,10 +19,6 @@ hw_random driver's official Web site:
 
 	http://sourceforge.net/projects/gkernel/
 
-Those tools use /dev/hwrng to fill the kernel entropy pool,
-which is used internally and exported by the /dev/urandom and
-/dev/random special files.
-
 Theory of operation
 ===================
 
-- 
2.10.0

Re: [PATCH] Documentation: hw_random: Fix issue related to feeding entropy pool

[Herbert Xu]

PrasannaKumar Muralidharan <prasannatsmkumar@gmail.com> wrote:
> There is no need to use rng-tools for feeding random data into kernel
> entropy pool as hw_random core handles it. Documentation suggested that
> rng-tools is required which is incorrect. So remove it.
> 
> Signed-off-by: PrasannaKumar Muralidharan <prasannatsmkumar@gmail.com>

Hmm, the tool still exists and can still be used to feed /dev/random.

Feeding /dev/random directly from the kernel is just one way of
using hwrng.

So rather than removing it perhaps you can modify it to state that
the kernel can now feed /dev/random as an option.

Cheers,
-- 
Email: Herbert Xu <herbert@gondor.apana.org.au>
Home Page: http://gondor.apana.org.au/~herbert/
PGP Key: http://gondor.apana.org.au/~herbert/pubkey.txt

Re: [PATCH] Documentation: hw_random: Fix issue related to feeding entropy pool

[PrasannaKumar Muralidharan]

Hi Herbert,

On 22 September 2017 at 14:47, Herbert Xu <herbert@gondor.apana.org.au> wrote:
> PrasannaKumar Muralidharan <prasannatsmkumar@gmail.com> wrote:
>> There is no need to use rng-tools for feeding random data into kernel
>> entropy pool as hw_random core handles it. Documentation suggested that
>> rng-tools is required which is incorrect. So remove it.
>>
>> Signed-off-by: PrasannaKumar Muralidharan <prasannatsmkumar@gmail.com>
>
> Hmm, the tool still exists and can still be used to feed /dev/random.
>
> Feeding /dev/random directly from the kernel is just one way of
> using hwrng.

But it is the default way.

> So rather than removing it perhaps you can modify it to state that
> the kernel can now feed /dev/random as an option.

As it is not required I think stating it is going to create confusion.
Users may not know whether rng-tools is optional or necessary for
feeding kernel entropy pool.

Thanks,
PrasannaKumar