[ANNOUNCE] /dev/random - a new approach (code for 4.11-rc1)

[Stephan Müller]

Hi,

The patch set that can be downloaded at [1] provides a different approach to /
dev/random which I call Linux Random Number Generator (LRNG) to collect 
entropy within the Linux kernel. The main improvements compared to the legacy 
/dev/random is to provide sufficient entropy during boot time as well as in 
virtual environments and when using SSDs or Device Mapper targets. A secondary 
design goal is to limit the impact of the entropy collection on massive 
parallel systems and also allow the use accelerated cryptographic primitives. 
Also, all steps of the entropic data processing are testable. Finally 
performance improvements are visible at /dev/urandom and get_random_bytes.

The design and implementation is driven by a set of goals described in [2]
that the LRNG completely implements. Furthermore, [2] includes a
comparison with RNG design suggestions such as SP800-90B, SP800-90C, and
AIS20/31.

The LRNG has a flexible design by allowing an easy replacement of the
deterministic random number generator component. Currently implemented DRNGs
are an SP800-90A DRBG and a ChaCha20 DRNG.

[1] http://www.chronox.de/lrng.html

[2] http://www.chronox.de/lrng/doc/lrng.pdf

Ciao
Stephan