3 ms·

What barriers keep thermal random number generators from being widely available? Or are they actually?

schrodingersCat 13y ago
Though I can't speak to they're adoption in actual hardware, thermal noise generators are apparently a common way to generate random numbers (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hardware_random_number_generator https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hardware_random_number_generat...). I would be interested to hear details on how the pi's generator works.
DanBC 13y ago
Sometimes they're not very good. Sometimes they're just very expensive. There are a range of different hardware devices available on various plugin boards. And processors have started to include them as well. Here's a very old (1997?) examination of 3 hardware devices: (http://www.robertnz.net/true_rng.html http://www.robertnz.net/true_rng.html) and he has some nice information here too: (http://www.robertnz.net/hwrng.htm http://www.robertnz.net/hwrng.htm) Here's my list of recent reading, not all of it relevant. (http://csrc.nist.gov/groups/ST/toolkit/rng/documents/nissc-paper.pdf http://csrc.nist.gov/groups/ST/toolkit/rng/documents/nissc-p...) (http://www.paulm.org/random.html http://www.paulm.org/random.html) (http://www.cryptography.com/public/pdf/IntelRNG.pdf http://www.cryptography.com/public/pdf/IntelRNG.pdf) Build one yourself: (http://www.labbookpages.co.uk/electronics/hwRNG.html http://www.labbookpages.co.uk/electronics/hwRNG.html) Here's a list of devices: (http://www.westphal-electronic.com/ http://www.westphal-electronic.com/) (http://www.trng98.se/shop/index.php http://www.trng98.se/shop/index.php) (http://www.comscire.com/ http://www.comscire.com/) (http://www.idquantique.com/random-number-generators/products... http://www.idquantique.com/random-number-generators/products...) (http://www.letech.jpn.com/ http://www.letech.jpn.com/) And someone upthread posted a link to EntropyKey.
- codezero 13y ago
  Thanks, very helpful.

Though I can't speak to they're adoption in actual hardware, thermal noise generators are apparently a common way to generate random numbers (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hardware_random_number_generator https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hardware_random_number_generat...). I would be interested to hear details on how the pi's generator works.

DanBC 13y ago

Sometimes they're not very good. Sometimes they're just very expensive. There are a range of different hardware devices available on various plugin boards. And processors have started to include them as well. Here's a very old (1997?) examination of 3 hardware devices: (http://www.robertnz.net/true_rng.html http://www.robertnz.net/true_rng.html) and he has some nice information here too: (http://www.robertnz.net/hwrng.htm http://www.robertnz.net/hwrng.htm) Here's my list of recent reading, not all of it relevant. (http://csrc.nist.gov/groups/ST/toolkit/rng/documents/nissc-paper.pdf http://csrc.nist.gov/groups/ST/toolkit/rng/documents/nissc-p...) (http://www.paulm.org/random.html http://www.paulm.org/random.html) (http://www.cryptography.com/public/pdf/IntelRNG.pdf http://www.cryptography.com/public/pdf/IntelRNG.pdf) Build one yourself: (http://www.labbookpages.co.uk/electronics/hwRNG.html http://www.labbookpages.co.uk/electronics/hwRNG.html) Here's a list of devices: (http://www.westphal-electronic.com/ http://www.westphal-electronic.com/) (http://www.trng98.se/shop/index.php http://www.trng98.se/shop/index.php) (http://www.comscire.com/ http://www.comscire.com/) (http://www.idquantique.com/random-number-generators/products... http://www.idquantique.com/random-number-generators/products...) (http://www.letech.jpn.com/ http://www.letech.jpn.com/) And someone upthread posted a link to EntropyKey.

codezero 13y ago
Thanks, very helpful.