NAME

randseed - keep the random generator's seed across reboots

SYNOPSIS

/etc/init.d/randseed start | stop

DESCRIPTION

randseed runs at every boot as /etc/rc2.d/S21randseed and at every shutdown as /etc/rc0.d/K02randseed.

start

writes the seed saved at the last shutdown, then the output of date and ps -ef, into /dev/urandom, which loads the random module, and saves a fresh seed at once, so that a crash never makes the next boot reuse one.

stop

saves a fresh seed.

The seed is 512 bytes read from /dev/urandom, in /etc/random-seed, readable by root only; it replaces the old one only when it was read whole.

When the device cannot be written (a kernel without the module, or no node), the step says so in one line on the console and in the boot log, keeps the old seed and lets the boot go on.

FILES

/etc/random-seed

the seed.

/var/adm/rc.log

the boot log: randseed: lines.

SEE ALSO

random(7), rc.subr(1M)