Re: [PATCH] API for true Random Number Generators to add entropy (2.6.11)

From: David McCullough <davidm@snapgear.com>
To: Jeff Garzik <jgarzik@pobox.com>
Cc: cryptoapi@lists.logix.cz, linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org,
	linux-crypto@vger.kernel.org, Andrew Morton <akpm@osdl.org>,
	James Morris <jmorris@redhat.com>,
	Herbert Xu <herbert@gondor.apana.org.au>
Subject: Re: [PATCH] API for true Random Number Generators to add entropy (2.6.11)
Date: Thu, 24 Mar 2005 14:46:21 +1000	[thread overview]
Message-ID: <20050324044621.GC3124@beast> (raw)
In-Reply-To: <20050324043300.GA2621@havoc.gtf.org>

Jivin Jeff Garzik lays it down ...
> On Thu, Mar 24, 2005 at 02:27:08PM +1000, David McCullough wrote:
> > 
> > Hi all,
> > 
> > Here is a small patch for 2.6.11 that adds a routine:
> > 
> > 	add_true_randomness(__u32 *buf, int nwords);
> > 
> > so that true random number generator device drivers can add a entropy
> > to the system.  Drivers that use this can be found in the latest release
> > of ocf-linux,  an asynchronous crypto implementation for linux based on
> > the *BSD Cryptographic Framework.
> > 
> > 	http://ocf-linux.sourceforge.net/
> > 
> > Adding this can dramatically improve the performance of /dev/random on
> > small embedded systems which do not generate much entropy.
> 
> We've already had hardware RNG support for a while now.
> 
> No kernel patching needed.

Are you talking about /dev/hw_random ?  If not then sorry I didn't see it :-(

On a lot of the small systems I work on,  /dev/random is completely
unresponsive,  and all the apps use /dev/random,  not /dev/hw_random.

Would you suggest making /dev/random point to /dev/hw_random then ?

Thanks,
Davidm

-- 
David McCullough, davidm@snapgear.com  Ph:+61 7 34352815 http://www.SnapGear.com
Custom Embedded Solutions + Security   Fx:+61 7 38913630 http://www.uCdot.org