To: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org
From: Gunter Ohrner <G.Ohrner@post.rwth-aachen.de>
Subject: Re: Entropy Pool Contents
Date: Mon, 27 Nov 2006 23:21:40 +0100
Message-ID: <ekfoev$k3v$1@sea.gmane.org>
References: <ek2nva$vgk$1@sea.gmane.org> <Pine.LNX.4.61.0611230107240.26845@yvahk01.tjqt.qr> <ek54hf$icj$2@sea.gmane.org> <456B0F53.90209@cfl.rr.com>
Reply-To: G.Ohrner@post.rwth-aachen.de
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Phillip Susi wrote:
>> I'm mainly wondering why writing stuff to /dev/*random does not change
>> the entropy from zero to at least any low non-zero value...
> I ran into this the other day myself and when I investigated the kernel
> code, I found that writes to /dev/random do accept the data into the
> entropy pool, but do NOT update the entropy estimate.  In order to do

Heck, you're right.

Thanks, that's just the answer I was looking for.

> that, you have to use a root only ioctl to add the data and update the
> estimate.  I am not sure why this is, or if there is a tool already
> written somewhere to use this ioctl, maybe someone else can comment?

rngd seems to do, from reading the documentation.

Greetings,

  Gunter

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