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

From: Jeff Garzik <jeff@garzik.org>
To: Theodore Tso <tytso@mit.edu>, Matt Mackall <mpm@selenic.com>,
	Mike McGrath <mmcgrath@redhat.com>,
	Jon Masters <jonathan@jonmasters.org>,
	Alan Cox <alan@lxorguk.ukuu.org.uk>, Ray Lee <ray@madrabbit.org>,
	Adrian Bunk <bunk@kernel.org>,
	Marc Haber <mh+linux-kernel@zugschlus.de>,
	linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org, hmh@debian.org
Subject: Re: entropy gathering (was Re: Why does reading from /dev/urandom deplete entropy so much?)
Date: Sat, 08 Dec 2007 15:47:40 -0500	[thread overview]
Message-ID: <475B02EC.4080200@garzik.org> (raw)
In-Reply-To: <20071208203121.GP17037@thunk.org>

Theodore Tso wrote:
> I think the userspace config problems were mainly due to the fact that
> there wasn't a single official userspace utility package for the
> random number package.  Comments in drivers/char/random.c for how to
> set up /etc/init.d/random is Just Not Enough.

Absolutely.

> If we had a single, official random number generator package that
> contained the configuration, init.d script, as well as the daemon that
> can do all sorts of different things that you really, Really, REALLY
> want to do in userspace, including:
> 
>   * FIPS testing (as Jeff suggested --- making sure what you think is 
>     randomness isn't 60Hz hum is a Really Good Idea :-)
>   * access to TPM (if available --- I have a vague memory that you may
>     need access to the TPM key to access any of its functions, and the
>     the TPM key is stored in the filesystem)

+1 agreed

(not volunteering, but I will cheer on the hearty soul who undertakes 
this endeavor...)