Re: Entropy Pool Contents

Gunter Ohrner
2006-11-23T21:35:41Z

Lennart Sorensen wrote:
> Only some devices/drivers generate entropy data. Some network drivers,

Yes, I know, but block device operations should, and directly feeding data
into /dev/*random, as I did, definitely should.

This machine usually has only very limited entropy available, but the pool
currently seeems to bee stuck at "0" - there's no way to get it to even
display a slightly different number. That's what confused me pretty much...

Normally doing disk IO helps a bit, but it currently does not at all.

> pcnet32 and the 8250 driver to generate entropy since otherwise I tended
> to run out very quickly.

I guess I also should do that - as this machine has several network cards on
different networks, that will be definiteely more seecure than running with
a completely empty entropy pool stuck at zero bits for several days in a
row...

Greetings,

Gunter