From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Return-Path: Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org via listexpand id ; Mon, 20 Aug 2001 21:12:54 -0400 Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org id ; Mon, 20 Aug 2001 21:12:44 -0400 Received: from SNAP.THUNK.ORG ([216.175.175.173]:30989 "EHLO snap.thunk.org") by vger.kernel.org with ESMTP id ; Mon, 20 Aug 2001 21:12:32 -0400 Date: Mon, 20 Aug 2001 21:11:07 -0400 From: Theodore Tso To: Martin Dalecki Cc: Alex Bligh - linux-kernel , Johan Adolfsson , Robert Love , Oliver Xymoron , linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org, riel@conectiva.com.br Subject: Re: [PATCH] let Net Devices feed Entropy, updated (1/2) Message-ID: <20010820211107.A20957@thunk.org> Mail-Followup-To: Theodore Tso , Martin Dalecki , Alex Bligh - linux-kernel , Johan Adolfsson , Robert Love , Oliver Xymoron , linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org, riel@conectiva.com.br In-Reply-To: <3B80EADC.234B39F0@evision-ventures.com> <2248596630.998319423@[10.132.112.53]> <3B811DD6.9648BE0E@evision-ventures.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Disposition: inline User-Agent: Mutt/1.3.15i In-Reply-To: <3B811DD6.9648BE0E@evision-ventures.com>; from dalecki@evision-ventures.com on Mon, Aug 20, 2001 at 04:25:26PM +0200 Sender: linux-kernel-owner@vger.kernel.org X-Mailing-List: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org On Mon, Aug 20, 2001 at 04:25:26PM +0200, Martin Dalecki wrote: > > The primary reson of invention of /dev/random was the need > for a bit of salt to the initial packet sequence number inside > the networking code in linux. And for this purspose the > whole /dev/*random stuff is INDEED a gratitious overdesign. That simply isn't true. The original reason that I wrote the /dev/random driver is that was for crypto key gneration. The primary use environment was to provide better key generation routines for user applications such as PGP, etc., which is the first devices that I implemented for entropy collection was the keyboard and mouse devices. The use of the /dev/random code for other purposes (generating initial packet sequence numbers for networking, generating a unique boot-session identifier which was requested by the emacs folks, etc.), all came later. > For anything else crypto related it just doesn't cut the corner. A number of other people helped me with the design and development of the /dev/random driver, including one of the primary authors of the random number generation routines in PGP 2.x and 5.0. Most folks feel that it does a good job. - Ted