[NTLUG:Discuss] Random number generator?

[kbrannen@gte.net]

Wayne Dahl wrote:
> When my Linux box boots up, during the startup, there is a message that
> says the Random number generator is initialized.  What is that for and
> what does it do?

My understanding is that it's a special "device" that a process can call to 
get a random (as possible) number.  It's get seeded with things like the 
current millsecond, checksum of a network packet, and other non-static or 
non-guessable things to help improve randomness (before the cycle its 
algorithm uses starts over).  (This is all from memory, so please cut me a 
little slack here. :-)  You can do "man 4 random" to get a little info.

Random numbers are used by whomever needs it.  The most obvious examples would 
be games, :-) e.g. /usr/X11R6/bin/maze would use it, try it if you have it 
installed.  Another example might be [simple] cryto software.  Also, 
simulation software would make use of it (if you got a CS degree in college, 
you probably had to do one of these--I did).

HTH,
Kevin