Re: [PATCH v2] - Randomize node rotor used incpuset_mem_spread_node()

From: Stephen Hemminger
Date: Wed Apr 28 2010 - 19:23:14 EST


On Wed, 28 Apr 2010 16:12:44 -0700
Andrew Morton <akpm@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> On Wed, 28 Apr 2010 18:04:06 -0500
> Matt Mackall <mpm@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
> > > I suspect random32() would suffice here. It avoids depleting the
> > > entropy pool altogether.
> >
> > I wouldn't worry about that. get_random_int() touches the urandom pool,
> > which will always leave entropy around. Also, Ted and I decided over a
> > year ago that we should drop the whole entropy accounting framework,
> > which I'll get around to some rainy weekend.
>
> hm, so why does random32() exist? Speed?

Because I need a cheap fast pseudo-random source for emulation
and it got used for more and more non-cryptographic uses.
And like most random generators people keep forgetting that
it was not intended for security use.

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