Re: [PATCH v2 3/6] crypto: Linux Random Number Generator

From: Joe Perches
Date: Sun Apr 24 2016 - 12:43:28 EST


On Sun, 2016-04-24 at 16:12 +0200, Stephan Mueller wrote:
> Am Sonntag, 24. April 2016, 04:30:24 schrieb Joe Perches:
> > On Sun, 2016-04-24 at 12:40 +0200, Stephan Mueller wrote:
> > > The LRNG with all its properties is documented in [1]. This
> > > documentation covers the functional discussion as well as testing of all
> > > aspects of entropy processing. In addition, the documentation explains
> > > the conducted regression tests to verify that the LRNG is API and ABI
> > > compatible with the legacy /dev/random implementation.
> > > [1] http://www.chronox.de/lrng.html
> > Links get stale.
> > It may be better to put an ascii version of the pdf
> > in Documentation/ and the test code in tools/
> I surely can do that. What would you think would be the proper location to add 
> such documentation? Simply Documentation/lrng.txt?
>
> How would you propose to handle the pictures (at least the big picture)?

I think figure 2.1 could look ok using something like asciio.
http://search.cpan.org/dist/App-Asciio/lib/App/Asciio.pm

> Regarding the tests: those are no regression tests, but tests to allow other 
> researches to verify whether the LRNG operates appropriately. Thus, would 
> adding it to a new directory of tools/crypto/rng be appropriate?

Whatever you think best would be fine with me.

> > > + pr_info(DRIVER_NAME": deactivating initial RNG - %d bytes delivered",
> > > + atomic_read(&lrng_initrng_bytes));
> > Should use \n to terminate the format.
> Thank you, fixed. Though, I am wondering why I do see the line feed in dmesg. 

The kernel will add a newline to dmesg output whenever a new
KERN_<LEVEL> is used, but there can be unprefixed content or
KERN_CONT uses from another thread before another message
that can unintentionally extend an old message without a
newline termination.

cheers, Joe