Subject: Re: [dsfjdssdfsd] software tools for testing entropy (was: Any plans for drafts or discussions on here?)

From: =JeffH <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 24 Jan 2014 10:32:47 -0800

> are there good software tools for testing entropy, that could help
> applications determine if the underlying system is giving them good
> input?

see also...

http://packages.debian.org/wheezy/rng-tools

Package: rng-tools (2-unofficial-mt.14-1)

Daemon to use a Hardware TRNG

The rngd daemon acts as a bridge between a Hardware TRNG (true random number 
generator) such as the ones in some Intel/AMD/VIA chipsets, and the kernel's 
PRNG (pseudo-random number generator).

It tests the data received from the TRNG using the FIPS 140-2 (2002-10-10) 
tests to verify that it is indeed random, and feeds the random data to the 
kernel entropy pool.

This increases the bandwidth of the /dev/random device, from a source that 
does not depend on outside activity. It may also improve the quality 
(entropy) of the randomness of /dev/random.

A TRNG kernel module such as hw_random, or some other source of true entropy 
that is accessible as a device or fifo, is required to use this package.

This is an unofficial version of rng-tools which has been extensively 
modified to add multithreading and a lot of new functionality.

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