> Date: Sat, 29 Dec 2001 15:47:24 -0800 > To: "Ben Laurie" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, > "Justin Erenkrantz" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > From: "Marc M. Adkins" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Cc: <[email protected]> > Subject: RE: random number generation > Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > > > This is almost the entire problem with random numbers - what is > > > good enough?
samba's random number generator uses /dev/[u]random whichever is available; md4 on all files in /tmp, /dev and other locations where large numbers of files are likely to be. parts of this are then supplied as input to RC4, which is very good for generating streams of random numbers, fast. the algorithm used, as it stands, however, was "predictable", as demonstrated by pete chown. it was not, however, fixed before then, because pete didn't get round to doing the demonstration. if you talk to jeremy allison and also to pete chown you will be able to find out if the issue was fixed, and if so, you will have a good algorithm to [BSD-re]implement. lkcl
