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Subject: Re: Continuing /dev/random problems with 2.4
From: Robert Love <rml@tech9.net>
To: Ken Brownfield <brownfld@irridia.com>
Cc: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org
In-Reply-To: <20020201031744.A32127@asooo.flowerfire.com>
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Date: 01 Feb 2002 11:53:20 -0500
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On Fri, 2002-02-01 at 04:17, Ken Brownfield wrote:

> Robert Love did some /dev/random maintenance a while back, and his
> netdev patches are essential for low disk-activity systems.  While his
> patches have helped the situation greatly, it appears that there is
> something in the random code that can cause extraction of entropy to
> permanently exhaust the pool.  Some kind of issue when entropy is near
> zero at the time of a read?

Most of the useful fixes actually came in a large update from Andreas
Dilger.  Perhaps he would have some insight, too.

Exhausting entropy to zero under high use is not uncommon (that is a
motivation for my netdev-random patch).  What boggles me is why it does
not regenerate?

	Robert

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