IDGEN32(9)

💅 IDGEN32 💅

ok so real talk, bestie — this is a page from the Kernel Developer's Manual, section 9, and it's all about <rainbow>non-repeating ID generation</rainbow> ✨. If you've ever needed a stream of IDs that absolutely will not ghost you by repeating, this is your girl. 🫶

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✨ NAME ✨

idgen32, idgen32_init — non-repeating ID generation 😌 no dupes, no drama, no cap.

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🎀 SYNOPSIS 🎀

#include <crypto/idgen.h>

void
idgen32_init(struct idgen32_ctx *ctx);

uint32_t
idgen32(struct idgen32_ctx *ctx);

that's it. two functions. icons only. 💅

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🦋 DESCRIPTION 🦋

okay so the idgen32() functions give you a whole facility — yes she's a facility — to generate a stream of 32-bit numbers that are strongly unpredictable and whose repetition cycle is close to 2^32. 🔥 like, she'll loop around eventually, but not before you're long done with your little protocol situation.

where is this useful? as protocol identifiers, bestie. specifically when there are negative consequences to reusing an ID within a short time period — which, ngl, is exactly what happens if you just assign them at random. 😭 random is giving "lazy" and the vibe check said no.

🫶 the whole point: IDs that don't come back around too soon. no accidental twin names in your network protocol. we love to see it.

idgen32_init() prepares a context structure for use. 🧚 she's the setup bestie — do her first, always.

idgen32() returns a new ID in host byte order. 📝 and here's the iconic bit: this function will never return 0, because 0 often has a special meaning in network protocols. 💀 she knows better than to hand you a zero. main character energy fr fr.

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🌸 SEE ALSO 🌸

• arc4random(9) — go say hi, she's cool too 💖

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👑 HISTORY 👑

the idgen32 functions were added in OpenBSD 4.4. ⭐ vintage. iconic. we respect the lineage.

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and that's the whole page, bestie — this one came from Debian, dated November 23, 2015. 🎀 slay, go generate some IDs that never repeat, and remember: no zeroes, no dupes, no notes. periodt. 💜