From owner-freebsd-current@FreeBSD.ORG Tue Apr 13 12:11:08 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 C867716A4CE for ; Tue, 13 Apr 2004 12:11:08 -0700 (PDT) Received: from odin.ac.hmc.edu (Odin.AC.HMC.Edu [134.173.32.75]) by mx1.FreeBSD.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id AF5A443D31 for ; Tue, 13 Apr 2004 12:11:08 -0700 (PDT) (envelope-from brdavis@odin.ac.hmc.edu) Received: from odin.ac.hmc.edu (IDENT:brdavis@localhost.localdomain [127.0.0.1]) by odin.ac.hmc.edu (8.12.10/8.12.3) with ESMTP id i3DJAwkS000970; Tue, 13 Apr 2004 12:10:58 -0700 Received: (from brdavis@localhost) by odin.ac.hmc.edu (8.12.10/8.12.3/Submit) id i3DJAw6X000967; Tue, 13 Apr 2004 12:10:58 -0700 Date: Tue, 13 Apr 2004 12:10:58 -0700 From: Brooks Davis To: Charles Swiger Message-ID: <20040413191058.GF20550@Odin.AC.HMC.Edu> References: <200404131550.i3DFocIn099231@grimreaper.grondar.org> <428207C0-8D7B-11D8-B697-003065ABFD92@mac.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Disposition: inline In-Reply-To: <428207C0-8D7B-11D8-B697-003065ABFD92@mac.com> User-Agent: Mutt/1.5.4i X-Virus-Scanned: by amavisd-milter (http://amavis.org/) on odin.ac.hmc.edu 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 19:11:08 -0000 On Tue, Apr 13, 2004 at 02:49:14PM -0400, Charles Swiger wrote: > 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. :-) ] You don't get to assume the existance of rc.conf until after initdiskless runs. -- Brooks