PRANDOM(4)

🌸 NAME 🌸

okay so this is PRANDOM(4) — yes, the manual page name, bestie — from the Kernel Interfaces Manual, and it's all about prandom: the kernel pseudo random number generator device for s390. 💅✨

🔥 DESCRIPTION 🔥

The character special file /dev/prandom gives you an interface to the pseudo random number generator. The s390 pseudo random number generator uses the hardware accelerated cryptographic assist functions which are integrated in the CPU. /dev/prandom is available starting with the z9 processor. 👑

Reading from /dev/prandom is non-blocking. Any amount of data could be read from the device. No waiting around, no drama. 💖

The s390 pseudo random number generator provides cryptographically secure pseudo random numbers following the algorithm in ANSI X9.17. Entropy is added periodically to the generator to protect against a compromised key. 🛡️✨

🎀 CONFIGURATION 🎀

The /dev/prandom device node is generated by udev while loading the corresponding kernel module or while booting a kernel with the generator built-in. By default /dev/prandom is readable only by root. If it should be readable by every user add the following to /etc/rules.d/50-udev.rules:

KERNEL=="prandom",              MODE="0444", OPTIONS="last_rule"

🦋 FILES 🦋

• /dev/prandom

👑 SEE ALSO 👑

• Linux on zSeries: Device Drivers, Features and Commands

✨ anyway, that's the whole page — brought to you by s390-tools, Jan 2007. mwah, bestie 💋🫶