Random numbers

[Kent Borg]

I wrote:
> Not toast by a long shot.  Use the default.
> /dev/urandom is getting lots of entropy from the network card.  

It turns out everything I said was true, except the powers-that-be in 
the L:inux kernel have been turning off all network cards entropy 
sources.  I think they are wrong, but they are running things.

So, of you use the default, your computer could be badly starved of 
entropy.  If you want to change the default you have to recompile your 
kernel.  Grrr.

So I was wrong.  The default used to get entropy, but now is starved.  I 
didn't know that change had been made.  Apologies for posting inaccurate 
information.

My arguments for why a network card is a good entropy source still 
stand, but they are not shared by those who matter.

-kb