> > Really, keyboard input usually does it. I made my key on a PowerBook,
> > but the keyboard isn't USB, there. Try lots of network activity and a
> > few finds redirected to temporary files, but I don't know if network and
> > disk IO touch the /dev/random code.
>
> network io does not add to the entropy pool for the reason that it
> could make it theoretically possible for someone to predict your
> entropy by sending traffic to your machine. paranoid yes, but
> /dev/random is supposed to be high level paranoia device.
>
> one thing i tested a while ago was the mouse, on my intel box the
> mouse generates ALOT of entropy (just run od /dev/random and move the
> mouse around) on powerpc it generates either very very little or
> none. not sure about the keyboard. disk activity appears to add a
> little bit.
I guess we need to check the keyboard and mouse drivers to see if they
properly use the add_*_randomness hooks. The ADB keyboard and mouse
handlers do. drivers/usb/input.c doesn't - the add_input_randomness there
is commented out (in my 2.2.18-stable copy) and marked BUG. Ideas, anyone?
Michael
