Date: 08 Aug 2001 19:38:43 -0700 From: Ken McGlothlen <mcglk@artlogix.com> To: ports@freebsd.org Subject: gpg 1.0.6 question regarding --gen-key and /dev/random. Message-ID: <87pua67ya4.fsf@ralf.artlogix.com>
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I recently installed gpg 1.0.6, under the pretense that it was about time I
started using some sort of encryption and digital signing package on a somewhat
more regular basis.
It installed smoothly, runs fine, except that I can't seem to generate a key
very efficiently using the --gen-key option. I select the defaults on what
kind of key I want (DSA and ElGamal), ask for a 1024-bit key (again, the
default), ask it for a 146-day key (expires January 1), give it my real name
and email address, type in a passphrase twice, and then I get this:
We need to generate a lot of random bytes. It is a good idea to perform
some other action (type on the keyboard, move the mouse, utilize the
disks) during the prime generation; this gives the random number
generator a better chance to gain enough entropy.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++.+++++++++++++++..++++++++++++++[...]
Not enough random bytes available. Please do some other work to give
the OS a chance to collect more entropy! (Need 300 more bytes)
I figured, well, that should be easy enough---I have to upgrade mozilla from
ports anyway. So I started a "make" on /usr/ports/www/mozilla/, and read my
mail and some Usenet from my Gnus process, and so on.
I started this up at 5:30pm, roughly. It's now after 7:30pm. gpg hasn't given
me any indication that it's getting more random bytes (no symbols are
printing), and it's using no CPU time. Mozilla is still compiling (this on a
700MHz Athlon---dang!), and I've been doing a bunch of other things as well.
Is something broken? Should gpg be using /dev/urandom instead of /dev/random?
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