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LavaRnd: A Open Source Project for Truly Random Numbers

Posted by Hemos on from the 1231232-hash-uyiuyiu1q2123 dept.

Phil Windley writes "Truly random numbers are crucial to good encryption. Most people have heard of Silicon Graphic's use of Lava Lamps to generate random numbers. There were some problems: it required special SGI hardware and software along with six lava lamps, and the solution wasn't portable. But the biggest drawback was that SGI patented the idea so it wasn't freely available. Now, some of the scientists behind the SGI random number system have create LavaRnd, an open source project for creating truly random numbers using inexpensive cameras, open source code, and inexpensive hardware. The system uses a saturated CCD in a light-tight can as a chaotic source to produce the seed. Software processes the result into truly random numbers in a variety of formats. The result is a random number that is crytographically sound, ranking at the top of its class in the NIST 800-22 Billion bit test. Its even portable, so the truly paranoid can take it with them when they travel."

10 of 549 comments (clear)

  1. I can see it now... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    "But, sir, I need this lava lamp for my cubicle! It's required for encrypting our company's secrets. I also need the black light, for, uh... stopping pop-ups."

  2. Sourceforge Copy by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    Site's already /.'ed.

    You can nab the code off sourceforge though:

    http://sourceforge.net/projects/lavarnd

  3. I'm going to get modbombed to hell, but... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny
    I don't want to start a holy war here, but what is the deal with you SGI lava lamp fanatics? I've been sitting here at my freelance gig in front of a lava lamp (SGI LavaRnd lamp) for about 20 minutes now while it attempts to create me a 17 Meg file of random numbers. 20 minutes. At home, the lava lamp I got from my mom, which by all standards should be a lot slower than this SGI lamp, the same operation would take about 2 minutes. If that. In addition, during this random number generation, Netscape will not work. And everything else has ground to a halt. Even Emacs Lite is straining to keep up as I type this.

    I won't bore you with the laundry list of other problems that I've encountered while working on various SGI lava lamps, but suffice it to say there have been many, not the least of which is I've never seen a SGI lava lamp that has run faster than its 1960s counterpart,despite the SGI lamp's smaller viscosity. My lamp with runs faster than this SGI lamp at times. From a productivity standpoint, I don't get how people can claim that the SGI LavaRnd is a "superior" machine.

    SGI addicts, flame me if you'd like, but I'd rather hear some intelligent reasons why anyone would choose to use a SGI over other faster, cheaper, more stable systems.

  4. other semiconductors by fortunatus · · Score: 5, Interesting

    audio circuits often use diode junctions in reverse-breakdown mode as a source of "white noise". couldn't we computer folks do the same? seems a similar idea to the the dark CCD technique.

  5. I have the most portable solution... by PrimeWaveZ · · Score: 5, Funny

    For generating random numbers: A quarter in my pocket and a lot of free time.

  6. what about audio output? by mbreitba · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I had a friend that 5 or 6 years ago used the "white noise" from his SB 16 to generate random numbers. Wouldn't this be much more portable than a lava lamp? -Matt

  7. Re:Bizarre sequences of random numbers by Elbelow · · Score: 5, Funny

    I just used LavaRnd's Lotto Number Generator with default values and it returned:

    1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

    Well, in a truly random sequence, this combination is just as likely as any other... :-)

  8. Re:A mic listening to the environment? by haystor · · Score: 5, Informative

    You are correct that white noise can produce appropriately random numbers.

    The problem is that for encryption purposes you may need some huge random numbers. If you want to do that from an analog solution you'll have to take your samples closer and closer together, until the numbers become less random. If you start sampling sound 1 million times a second, any two values next to each other my be really close and actually predictable.

    --
    t
  9. Re:What about double-slit experiment? by zeotherm · · Score: 5, Informative

    Where to begin... For starters, the double slit experiment, to see the neat effects of single electron interference, must be done in a vacuum. The electorns must not be influenced by anything else at all, like air/gas molecules. Also, it must be done at temperatures near absolute zero, where the thermal bath of the environment doesn't wash out the quantum effect you are talking about... Just not possible on a portable system...

  10. Re:Bizarre sequences of random numbers by Ed+Avis · · Score: 5, Insightful

    A number is not 'random'. There is no test you can apply to determine that 25 is random, while 44 is not. Randomness is not a property of individual numbers, it is a property of the number generator or source.

    So when people say 'a random number' they really mean 'a number drawn from a random source'.

    You're talking about Kolmogorov complexity, I think - the complexity of some data is the length of its shortest description. But even there you have to agree what language the description will be in. You could define a language where 18282822 is represented by the symbol 'A' and any other number is represented by itself.

    --
    -- Ed Avis ed@membled.com