diff options
author | Linus Torvalds <torvalds@linux-foundation.org> | 2017-07-15 22:58:58 +0300 |
---|---|---|
committer | Linus Torvalds <torvalds@linux-foundation.org> | 2017-07-15 22:58:58 +0300 |
commit | 486088bc4689f826b80aa317b45ac9e42e8b25ee (patch) | |
tree | adf5847a6119d24da990d9e336f005c4a316e6be /Documentation/hw_random.txt | |
parent | 52f6c588c77b76d548201470c2a28263a41b462b (diff) | |
parent | 43e5f7e1fa66531777c49791014c3124ea9208d8 (diff) | |
download | linux-486088bc4689f826b80aa317b45ac9e42e8b25ee.tar.xz |
Merge tag 'standardize-docs' of git://git.lwn.net/linux
Pull documentation format standardization from Jonathan Corbet:
"This series converts a number of top-level documents to the RST format
without incorporating them into the Sphinx tree. The hope is to bring
some uniformity to kernel documentation and, perhaps more importantly,
have our existing docs serve as an example of the desired formatting
for those that will be added later.
Mauro has gone through and fixed up a lot of top-level documentation
files to make them conform to the RST format, but without moving or
renaming them in any way. This will help when we incorporate the ones
we want to keep into the Sphinx doctree, but the real purpose is to
bring a bit of uniformity to our documentation and let the top-level
docs serve as examples for those writing new ones"
* tag 'standardize-docs' of git://git.lwn.net/linux: (84 commits)
docs: kprobes.txt: Fix whitespacing
tee.txt: standardize document format
cgroup-v2.txt: standardize document format
dell_rbu.txt: standardize document format
zorro.txt: standardize document format
xz.txt: standardize document format
xillybus.txt: standardize document format
vfio.txt: standardize document format
vfio-mediated-device.txt: standardize document format
unaligned-memory-access.txt: standardize document format
this_cpu_ops.txt: standardize document format
svga.txt: standardize document format
static-keys.txt: standardize document format
smsc_ece1099.txt: standardize document format
SM501.txt: standardize document format
siphash.txt: standardize document format
sgi-ioc4.txt: standardize document format
SAK.txt: standardize document format
rpmsg.txt: standardize document format
robust-futexes.txt: standardize document format
...
Diffstat (limited to 'Documentation/hw_random.txt')
-rw-r--r-- | Documentation/hw_random.txt | 159 |
1 files changed, 87 insertions, 72 deletions
diff --git a/Documentation/hw_random.txt b/Documentation/hw_random.txt index fce1634907d0..121de96e395e 100644 --- a/Documentation/hw_random.txt +++ b/Documentation/hw_random.txt @@ -1,90 +1,105 @@ -Introduction: - - The hw_random framework is software that makes use of a - special hardware feature on your CPU or motherboard, - a Random Number Generator (RNG). The software has two parts: - a core providing the /dev/hwrng character device and its - sysfs support, plus a hardware-specific driver that plugs - into that core. - - To make the most effective use of these mechanisms, you - should download the support software as well. Download the - latest version of the "rng-tools" package from the - hw_random driver's official Web site: - - http://sourceforge.net/projects/gkernel/ - - Those tools use /dev/hwrng to fill the kernel entropy pool, - which is used internally and exported by the /dev/urandom and - /dev/random special files. - -Theory of operation: - - CHARACTER DEVICE. Using the standard open() - and read() system calls, you can read random data from - the hardware RNG device. This data is NOT CHECKED by any - fitness tests, and could potentially be bogus (if the - hardware is faulty or has been tampered with). Data is only - output if the hardware "has-data" flag is set, but nevertheless - a security-conscious person would run fitness tests on the - data before assuming it is truly random. - - The rng-tools package uses such tests in "rngd", and lets you - run them by hand with a "rngtest" utility. - - /dev/hwrng is char device major 10, minor 183. - - CLASS DEVICE. There is a /sys/class/misc/hw_random node with - two unique attributes, "rng_available" and "rng_current". The - "rng_available" attribute lists the hardware-specific drivers - available, while "rng_current" lists the one which is currently - connected to /dev/hwrng. If your system has more than one - RNG available, you may change the one used by writing a name from - the list in "rng_available" into "rng_current". +========================================================== +Linux support for random number generator in i8xx chipsets +========================================================== + +Introduction +============ + +The hw_random framework is software that makes use of a +special hardware feature on your CPU or motherboard, +a Random Number Generator (RNG). The software has two parts: +a core providing the /dev/hwrng character device and its +sysfs support, plus a hardware-specific driver that plugs +into that core. + +To make the most effective use of these mechanisms, you +should download the support software as well. Download the +latest version of the "rng-tools" package from the +hw_random driver's official Web site: + + http://sourceforge.net/projects/gkernel/ + +Those tools use /dev/hwrng to fill the kernel entropy pool, +which is used internally and exported by the /dev/urandom and +/dev/random special files. + +Theory of operation +=================== + +CHARACTER DEVICE. Using the standard open() +and read() system calls, you can read random data from +the hardware RNG device. This data is NOT CHECKED by any +fitness tests, and could potentially be bogus (if the +hardware is faulty or has been tampered with). Data is only +output if the hardware "has-data" flag is set, but nevertheless +a security-conscious person would run fitness tests on the +data before assuming it is truly random. + +The rng-tools package uses such tests in "rngd", and lets you +run them by hand with a "rngtest" utility. + +/dev/hwrng is char device major 10, minor 183. + +CLASS DEVICE. There is a /sys/class/misc/hw_random node with +two unique attributes, "rng_available" and "rng_current". The +"rng_available" attribute lists the hardware-specific drivers +available, while "rng_current" lists the one which is currently +connected to /dev/hwrng. If your system has more than one +RNG available, you may change the one used by writing a name from +the list in "rng_available" into "rng_current". ========================================================================== - Hardware driver for Intel/AMD/VIA Random Number Generators (RNG) - Copyright 2000,2001 Jeff Garzik <jgarzik@pobox.com> - Copyright 2000,2001 Philipp Rumpf <prumpf@mandrakesoft.com> +Hardware driver for Intel/AMD/VIA Random Number Generators (RNG) + - Copyright 2000,2001 Jeff Garzik <jgarzik@pobox.com> + - Copyright 2000,2001 Philipp Rumpf <prumpf@mandrakesoft.com> -About the Intel RNG hardware, from the firmware hub datasheet: - The Firmware Hub integrates a Random Number Generator (RNG) - using thermal noise generated from inherently random quantum - mechanical properties of silicon. When not generating new random - bits the RNG circuitry will enter a low power state. Intel will - provide a binary software driver to give third party software - access to our RNG for use as a security feature. At this time, - the RNG is only to be used with a system in an OS-present state. +About the Intel RNG hardware, from the firmware hub datasheet +============================================================= -Intel RNG Driver notes: +The Firmware Hub integrates a Random Number Generator (RNG) +using thermal noise generated from inherently random quantum +mechanical properties of silicon. When not generating new random +bits the RNG circuitry will enter a low power state. Intel will +provide a binary software driver to give third party software +access to our RNG for use as a security feature. At this time, +the RNG is only to be used with a system in an OS-present state. - * FIXME: support poll(2) +Intel RNG Driver notes +====================== - NOTE: request_mem_region was removed, for three reasons: - 1) Only one RNG is supported by this driver, 2) The location - used by the RNG is a fixed location in MMIO-addressable memory, +FIXME: support poll(2) + +.. note:: + + request_mem_region was removed, for three reasons: + + 1) Only one RNG is supported by this driver; + 2) The location used by the RNG is a fixed location in + MMIO-addressable memory; 3) users with properly working BIOS e820 handling will always - have the region in which the RNG is located reserved, so - request_mem_region calls always fail for proper setups. - However, for people who use mem=XX, BIOS e820 information is - -not- in /proc/iomem, and request_mem_region(RNG_ADDR) can - succeed. + have the region in which the RNG is located reserved, so + request_mem_region calls always fail for proper setups. + However, for people who use mem=XX, BIOS e820 information is + **not** in /proc/iomem, and request_mem_region(RNG_ADDR) can + succeed. -Driver details: +Driver details +============== - Based on: +Based on: Intel 82802AB/82802AC Firmware Hub (FWH) Datasheet - May 1999 Order Number: 290658-002 R + May 1999 Order Number: 290658-002 R - Intel 82802 Firmware Hub: Random Number Generator +Intel 82802 Firmware Hub: + Random Number Generator Programmer's Reference Manual - December 1999 Order Number: 298029-001 R + December 1999 Order Number: 298029-001 R - Intel 82802 Firmware HUB Random Number Generator Driver +Intel 82802 Firmware HUB Random Number Generator Driver Copyright (c) 2000 Matt Sottek <msottek@quiknet.com> - Special thanks to Matt Sottek. I did the "guts", he - did the "brains" and all the testing. +Special thanks to Matt Sottek. I did the "guts", he +did the "brains" and all the testing. |