Re: Password generator for AIX 5.2
From: Iain (iain_at_cairnlin.co.uk)
Date: 04/05/04
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Date: 5 Apr 2004 06:16:02 -0700
toh@bec.dk (Tommy Harbo) wrote in message news:<14f45b08.0403160325.6b5c4c9e@posting.google.com>...
> Hi,
>
> We have been using APG 2.2.3 on AIX 4.3 for more than a year without
> any problems, to generate passwords for new users.
>
> But after recently upgrading AIX to version 5.2, APG is extremely
> slow. First time it is runned it only take 0.02 seconds, but then it
> takes between 3 and 18 minuttes!!!
>
> I have tried to recompile it on AIX 5.2 both with gcc 3.3.2 and IBM
> Visual age C 6.0, but this dosn't help at all.
>
> Tommy Harbo
Hi Tommy,
I'm not famailiar with APG but something in your description rings a
bell.
I think what might be happening is that APG is detecting the presence
of /dev/random and using that for random data to help it generate the
password. Under AIX, /dev/random does not create that much data (but
it is very high quality - that's the trade-off). Typically when
reading from /dev/random you'll be able to read a few kb very quickly,
then it gets very slow as it has to wait for more random data to be
generated.
You can test this hypothesis by running truss and seeing if it does
access /dev/random.
If this is the problem, you could see if there is a configure flag
which tells APG not to use /dev/random. Alternatively, you can avoid
creating /dev/random in the first place (can't remember how - try the
AIX 5.2 differences guide at www.redbooks.ibm.com). Then it might
default to /dev/urandom (which for practical purposes here is just as
good) or some other method.
I may be completely off the mark, of course.
Iain.
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