From owner-freebsd-current@FreeBSD.ORG Tue Apr 13 11:49:22 2004 Return-Path: Delivered-To: freebsd-current@freebsd.org Received: from mx1.FreeBSD.org (mx1.freebsd.org [216.136.204.125]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id C5C2916A4CE for ; Tue, 13 Apr 2004 11:49:22 -0700 (PDT) Received: from smtpout.mac.com (smtpout.mac.com [17.250.248.46]) by mx1.FreeBSD.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id A23C443D53 for ; Tue, 13 Apr 2004 11:49:22 -0700 (PDT) (envelope-from cswiger@mac.com) Received: from mac.com (smtpin01-en2 [10.13.10.146]) by smtpout.mac.com (8.12.6/MantshX 2.0) with ESMTP id i3DInMmG024524 for ; Tue, 13 Apr 2004 11:49:22 -0700 (PDT) Received: from [10.1.1.193] (nfw2.codefab.com [199.103.21.225] (may be forged)) (authenticated bits=0) by mac.com (Xserve/smtpin01/MantshX 3.0) with ESMTP id i3DInKZ2018522 for ; Tue, 13 Apr 2004 11:49:21 -0700 (PDT) Mime-Version: 1.0 (Apple Message framework v613) In-Reply-To: <200404131550.i3DFocIn099231@grimreaper.grondar.org> References: <200404131550.i3DFocIn099231@grimreaper.grondar.org> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; format=flowed Message-Id: <428207C0-8D7B-11D8-B697-003065ABFD92@mac.com> Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit From: Charles Swiger Date: Tue, 13 Apr 2004 14:49:14 -0400 X-Mailer: Apple Mail (2.613) cc: freebsd-current@FreeBSD.ORG Subject: Re: dev/random X-BeenThere: freebsd-current@freebsd.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.1 Precedence: list List-Id: Discussions about the use of FreeBSD-current List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Tue, 13 Apr 2004 18:49:22 -0000 On Apr 13, 2004, at 11:50 AM, Mark Murray wrote: [ ...with regard to /dev/random blocking at boot... ] > For now, kickstart the device with > > # ${SOME_COMMAND} > /dev/random > > SOME_COMMAND should have output entropy proportional to the seriousness > of your threat model. For messing around at home, 'ls -alR /etc /var' > is > probably OK. Why not set $entropy_dir in rc.conf and kickstart /dev/random using much higher quality entropy available when the machine was shutdown last? [ A good answer might be that the Original Poster is using limited-write media like compact flash to boot from and doesn't want to keep scribbling 8K or so of entropy to CF, but mailing-list lag has made it difficult to track the context original message. :-) ] -- -Chuck