From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Return-Path: Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org via listexpand id ; Mon, 20 Aug 2001 09:25:53 -0400 Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org id ; Mon, 20 Aug 2001 09:25:43 -0400 Received: from shed.alex.org.uk ([195.224.53.219]:27109 "HELO shed.alex.org.uk") by vger.kernel.org with SMTP id ; Mon, 20 Aug 2001 09:25:31 -0400 Date: Mon, 20 Aug 2001 14:25:39 +0100 From: Alex Bligh - linux-kernel Reply-To: Alex Bligh - linux-kernel To: David Schwartz , Alex Bligh - linux-kernel Cc: Oliver Xymoron , linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org, Alex Bligh - linux-kernel Subject: RE: Entropy from net devices - keyboard & IDE just as 'bad' [was Re: [PATCH] let Net Devices feed Entropy, updated (1/2)] Message-ID: <2246712912.998317539@[10.132.112.53]> In-Reply-To: In-Reply-To: X-Mailer: Mulberry/2.1.0b3 (Win32) MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii; format=flowed Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Disposition: inline Sender: linux-kernel-owner@vger.kernel.org X-Mailing-List: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org >> Better than the necessary 1 jiffie on non-i386 platforms and some >> i386 platforms. > > On those platforms, you simply can't have good entropy and still have > user accounts on the box with the default hardware. Sorry, the hardware > just doesn't permit it. You would have to set up some secure way to draw > entropy off an external pool, there's just nothing else you can do. (I > believe there are non-x87 platforms that have good timers, just not all > of them.) Many non-i386 platforms have more finely grained timers than 1 jiffie. The problem is the code doesn't use them. So my point is, it seems illogical to throw stones at (often) theoretical issues with Robert's patch, when people's energy would be better diverted to help fix up hole in the current implementation. -- Alex Bligh