Oded Arbel <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes:

> Hi list.
> 
> I'm having a problem with a server, where apparently I don't have
> any entropy left in /dev/random :
> # sysctl -A | grep random
> kernel.random.entropy_avail = 0

Switch to /dev/urandom - it exists exactly for that purpose. I read
through the thread - your assertion that /dev/urandom is "of lower
quality" is wrong.

> and of course - every call to /dev/random blocks. the server in
> question is a headless box, so of course no entropy is generated by
> HID devices such as mouse and keyboard, but IIRC dev/random should
> also be filled by disc access (of which there is a lot) and maybe
> network (I remember a discussion on turning off entropy feeding from
> the NICs, but I don't remember if it was actually carried out).

NICs should not participate in the entropy pool, because they are
exposed to the outside world and can thus be influenced from the
outside, degrading the randomness of the /dev/u?random output..

-- 
Oleg Goldshmidt | [EMAIL PROTECTED]

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