Paul Gilmartin wrote:
I posted most of this to a thread on MVS-OE, but I wonder
if more information might be available on this list?
Why isn't there an emulation if the hardware is not available?
In:
Title: zSeries Platform Test Report for z/OS and Linux Virtual Servers
Document Number: SA22-7997-02
| The /dev/random and /dev/urandom Character Special devices provide
| cryptographically secure random output generated from the hardware
| cryptographic feature available on the zSeries. The foundation of this
| random number generator is a time variant input with a very low
| probability of recycling. These device files require ICSF and either
| Cryptographic Coprocessor Feature or PCI X Cryptographic Coprocessor
| depending on the model of the zSeries server.
This tells precious little of whether the hardware generates
physically random or pseudorandom numbers. If the former,
emulation in software is logically impossible.
No hardware or software (or both) generates random numbers. The numbers
are always pseudo-random. However the level (intensity) of "pseuso" is
different. Sometimes good enough. Sometimes even not known.
--
Radoslaw Skorupka
Lodz, Poland
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