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From: jewett@hplabs.UUCP (Bob Jewett)
Newsgroups: net.crypt
Subject: Re: Why no hardware random numbers?
Message-ID: <1726@hplabs.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 13-Mar-85 13:55:28 EST
Article-I.D.: hplabs.1726
Posted: Wed Mar 13 13:55:28 1985
Date-Received: Thu, 14-Mar-85 06:10:07 EST
References: <868@utcsri.UUCP>
Distribution: net
Organization: Hewlett Packard Labs, Palo Alto CA
Lines: 16

> Looking over the various schemes proposed for key generation and management
> it seems that one of the basic, really fundamental, requirements is a source
> of truly random numbers.  ...
> So, why do so few supposedly modern computers include a hardware random number
> generator? 
>               Why no hardware random numbers?
> Richard Outerbridge	<outer@utcsri.UUCP>	 (416) 961-4757

Hardware random number generators exist.  You can, for example,
amplify thermal noise and count the number of zero crossings in
a fixed time interval and throw away the MSB's.  One reason PRN
generators are preferred is that they will always give the same
sequence for a given seed, which can be useful for debugging a
program.

Bob Jewett  hplabs!jewett