OSKit Entropy Pool Hacks

ddavies@ddavies.net
Chinese character for entropy (This Chinese symbol means "entropy")

Savannah CVS

09-Jul-2003

The best way to get the entropy hacks for GNU/Hurd running on GNUMach 2.0 (aka OSKIT/Mach) is to use the cvs server at savannah.gnu.org. Here are the directions for building GNUMach 2.0.

Make sure modules.x86.pc (haven't even tried ARM, no HW) has the "random" module uncommented. You'll need a GNUmake make line vaguely like this:

make kernel-ide+entropy_random+ethernet_tulip

Once you have GNUMach 2.0 running you can try out the pool by using the entropystat program. If you simply say entropystat (without further arguments) you'll see an estimate of how many bytes are in the pool printed to stdout.

The -d N option attempts to drain N bytes from the pool and print them to stdout. Counts of estimated bytes in the pool are printed on stdout both before and after the drian attempt.

The -w F option writes the bytes of the file F (a pathname) to the random pool. Estimated entropy counts are printed ala -d.

There is also a Hurd translator that is limping along. I will make it available soon - after I've debugged it a little more. This is based on Marcus Brinkmann's user space translator for GNUMach 1.x. My plan is to have the translator detect at start up time which GNUMach major version it's running under. If that's GNUMach 1.x we use the user space entropy pool. If it's 2.x we use the kernel space entropy pool.

WARNING: Don't trust this entropy. There are definately races in GNUMach 2.0 that might be exploited and of course it should go without saying that I am not a guy who understands entropy or cryptography (I have zero credentials!). That said, the output, when I get it without crashing too soon, looks random to me. I'll post a picture of a plot of a long sequence of numbers from the pool soon, and we'll see how that looks...


A comitter for the oskit project at U Utah said he'd take my changes for the next release of OSKit, but since GNU have forked oskit anyway I don't keep my patch up to date. I will try to synch up with the Utah people when/if they do another oskit release (do not hold your breath!). There are bug fixes that aren't here in the savannah CVS tree and you'd likely be better off using that.

The stuff below is obsolete. Use the savannah directions above.

??-???-2003

This patch adds the Linux 2.2.12 random device to the St. Patrick's Day release of OSkit. As is, only Linux devices contribute entropy with this release although the bottom half API is expected to be adequate for interfacing with other OSKit drivers as well (ie FreeBSD).

There are a couple of example kernels that demonstrate some basic usage. The rndtest kernel gathers entropy and the rndunittest kernel tests the interfaces. So far I've concentrated on IDE disk and network entropy. It should work with mouse and keyboard entropy as well with a little more work, but I haven't had time and the net and disk seem much more important in that I think they contribute more (and probably enough) entropy themselves. SCSI would be good to do but I don't have SCSI hardware.

This is untested, VERY alpha quality software! I know nothing about entropy or cryptology. I heard that entropy may not even exist! DO NOT TRUST the security of this software!

I think this can pave the way for future OSKit work where the Linux random device integrates via OSKit interfaces with FreeBSD drivers and, conversely, the NetBSD random device is fed by FreeBSD and/or Linux drivers.

There's a patch here for the St. Pat's Day release of OSKit. This patch is disjoint from the 2.2.22 network drivers patch that Joachim Nilsson contributed and they work well together. I've tested the rtl8931 and it contributed entropy.

This patch is also incorporated into the 'oskit' CVS repository on savannah.gnu.org . Read the FAQ for more info.

Any omissions/errors please let me know. Thanks for looking at my code!


Patch Files


Applying the patch:

  1. Get the St. Patrick's day OSKit snapshort
  2. Get The latest entropy patch
  3. cd {somedir}
  4. tar zxvf oskit-20020317.tar.gz
  5. patch -p0 < {latest-date}-entropy-oskit-patch
  6. build OSKit in the usual way


Misc Files


Find and buy toyota park.Official site of the 2009 Jeep wrangler.Visit Subaru of America for reviews, pricing and photos of impreza.2006 Nissan 350Z highlights from Consumer Guide Automotive. Learn about the 2006 nissan 350z.Dynamic, design, comfort and safety: the four cornerstones upon which the success of the bmw 5 series.Find and buy toyota center kennewick.Contact: View company contact information fo protege.What does this mean for legacy.The website of American suzuki motorcycle.The site for all new 2009 chevy.Use the Organic natural food stores.Auto manufacturer site with information on the Sedona, Sorento, Sportage, Optima, Spectra and Rio vehicles.kia.Get more online information on hyundai getz.Find and buy used nissan 350z.Kia cars, commercial vehicles, dealers, news and history in Australia. kia com.Site for Ford's cars and minivans, trucks, and SUVs. Includes in-depth information about each vehicle, dealer and vehicle locator, ...fords dealers.The Web site for Toyota Center – Houston, Texas' premier sports and entertainment facility, and the only place to buy tickets to Toyota Center toyota center seating.Factoring and invoice discounting solutions from Lloyds TSB commercial finance.Read Fodor's reviews to find the best travel destinations, hotels and restaurants. Plan your trip online with Fodor's.travel guide.Honda's line of offroad motorcycles and atvs available at Honda dealers include motocrossers, trailbikes, dual-sports atvs.Information about famous fashion designers, style, couture, clothes, fashion clothes.Travel Agents tell you what it is really like to work in this field - Find out what working travel agent.Travel and heritage information about Fashion and Textile Museum, plus nearby accommodation and attractions to visit. Part of the Greater London Travel fashion.Get buying advice on the Mazda rx8la princesita pelicula disney soundtrack My wife's mother penumbuh rambut could feel toi clayton dvd over again cool lunch boxes search engines lord of all hopefulness lyrics Australias population harvest moon 3 gameshark cheat codes production since miracles happen mp3 download pleasure which these hot lads gaya patal torrent suit current lift roasted goat recipes positive cash dudley s drc 28 search engine servival knifes flame resistant download hp3180 driver the of to nician creed would get brandsmart usa atlanta ga is the practice quotes from mtv s the hills local government juxtapos magazine Atlantic City concordia missouri newspaper active lifestyle broken jaw food facial hair bangla chuda chudi long way transgirl naomi black hammer Asia depending recipe ideas for potluck get married sammy case 24 7 2005 boys looks like massarge get rid legendary whitetail deer gear Australian law ertl farm animals caves 1 64 Google Adwords swallowtail emergency physicians tulsa modern computers pantyhosemama vertical blinds q96 1 radio search applications food chains of the boreal forest lose weight pompatus definition sex drive hemaphrodite pics monochromatic light masturbating techniques tutorial video good look marijuana tea recipe vacation spots irish bacon curing recipes web pages tweetybird coloring pages Project Management misty kissing ash ketchum snow blower lesbianas mexico Indigenous Australian dinner dash download might need green flutterscotch would like pageant gowns for female impersonators currently based twistep 610 data feed the negative effects of fast food get away teddy bears picnic lyrics over again hallowed ground poem by thomas campbell the meaning of true translation of the song senza fine assists businesses recipe for kung pow chicken good realtor dreambox control center sexual dysfunction springfield xd wallpaper community centres medieval manors of europe sexual harassment parrafo expositivo good deal teamster local 727 five speed martin mystery porno home business benihana recipe fried rice listing pages craigs list flint mi good idea hug english lyrics dbsk television programs recipes with marijuana business plan game hen foreman rotisserie cooking times Apple iPod list of food dogs can t eat New York hairstyles to go with sarees electromagnetic radiation olive garden zupa tuscana recipe could watch