From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Return-Path: Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org via listexpand id S263292AbTJUTeX (ORCPT ); Tue, 21 Oct 2003 15:34:23 -0400 Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org id S263293AbTJUTeX (ORCPT ); Tue, 21 Oct 2003 15:34:23 -0400 Received: from tmr-02.dsl.thebiz.net ([216.238.38.204]:31507 "EHLO gatekeeper.tmr.com") by vger.kernel.org with ESMTP id S263292AbTJUTeV (ORCPT ); Tue, 21 Oct 2003 15:34:21 -0400 To: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org Path: gatekeeper.tmr.com!davidsen From: davidsen@tmr.com (bill davidsen) Newsgroups: mail.linux-kernel Subject: Re: [RFC] frandom - fast random generator module Date: 21 Oct 2003 19:24:20 GMT Organization: TMR Associates, Schenectady NY Message-ID: References: <3F8E552B.3010507@users.sf.net> <3F8E58A9.20005@cyberone.com.au> <3F8E70E0.7070000@users.sf.net> <3F8E8101.70009@pobox.com> X-Trace: gatekeeper.tmr.com 1066764260 18660 192.168.12.62 (21 Oct 2003 19:24:20 GMT) X-Complaints-To: abuse@tmr.com Originator: davidsen@gatekeeper.tmr.com Sender: linux-kernel-owner@vger.kernel.org X-Mailing-List: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org In article <3F8E8101.70009@pobox.com>, Jeff Garzik wrote: | In this case, there is no such requirement. More below. If the result is used for crypto that is a requirement, as noted in the original post. See below. And if it's in a shared library it's subject to various other attempts at control or duplication of results. | | | > But it's really a matter of taste. That's why I bring up the subject here. | | | Processors are trending towards putting RNG on the CPU. VIA won't be | the last, I predict. When generating random bits is a single | instruction, "xstore", userspace applications _should_ be directly using | this. It should not be in-kernel. And similarly, if there is no | requirement that the kernel's entropy pool is used, the userspace | application _should_ be where the implementation lives. If you are running multiple threads you may really want some independent random numbers. Looking at this, I believe that if I open the device and then various threads read blocks from the device, each will get independent random numbers. Take this as "there are benefits to having this in the kernel" and not "this really should be in the kernel." A contribution to the discussion. What I don't hear is results from testing, from doing this as a procedure, etc. -- bill davidsen CTO, TMR Associates, Inc Doing interesting things with little computers since 1979.