Date: Thu, 05 Aug 2004 08:33:44 +0100 From: Mark Murray <mark@grondar.org> To: Sam Leffler <sam@errno.com> Cc: Robert Watson <rwatson@FreeBSD.ORG> Subject: Re: So much entropy it's coming out of our ears? Message-ID: <200408050733.i757XiGC053052@grimreaper.grondar.org> In-Reply-To: Your message of "Wed, 04 Aug 2004 21:39:52 PDT." <200408042139.52577.sam@errno.com>
next in thread | previous in thread | raw e-mail | index | archive | help
Sam Leffler writes: > Virtually all performance-sensitive installations will disable entropy > gathering through fast paths. I've suggested for a long time that this sort > of collection should be enabled only under dire circumstances and never by > default. Regardless the last time I looked at the entropy harvesting it used > a model where entropy was unilateraly sent for harvest and discarded when too > plentiful. I term this the "push model". I've advocated a "pull model" > where the PRNG requests entropy when a low water mark is hit and/or a hybrid > scheme where producers have some sort of flow control or feedback mechanism. Yarrow is not conducive to "water-mark" type flow-control, but I'm looking at replacing Yarrow with Fortuna (code at an advanced stage). This should improve things all-round. > Everything that goes on inside the PRNG is a separate issue. *nod* M -- Mark Murray iumop ap!sdn w,I idlaH
Want to link to this message? Use this URL: <https://mail-archive.FreeBSD.org/cgi/mid.cgi?200408050733.i757XiGC053052>