NAME

       kcapi-rng - Kernel Crypto API Random Number Gatherer

SYNOPSIS

       kcapi-rng [OPTION]

DESCRIPTION

       The  kcapi-rng  application  provides  tool to obtain random numbers from the Linux kernel
       crypto API via the command line. The tool is  similar  to  reading  /dev/hwrand  with  the
       difference  that the used random number generators are fully deterministic - i.e. they are
       DRNGs.

       Any potential seed data can be provided via STDIN. Some of the DRNGs  require  seeding  as
       they  do  not  seed  themselves.  The  kcapi-rng tool ensures that the DRNGs are seeded by
       pulling the seed data from the getrandom system call (or /dev/urandom if getrandom is  not
       available).  The  amount of seed data is defined by the DRNG itself and can be reviewed by
       assessing /proc/crypto.  The seed provided via STDIN will  be  added  to  the  internally-
       generated seed.  The generated random numbers are written to STDOUT.

       The following options are supported when invoking kcapi-rng:

       -b, --bytes BYTES
              Generate BYTES number of random bytes.

       -n, --name NAME
              The  NAME argument specifies the random number generator implementation to be used.
              The allowed random number generators are defined by  the  Linux  kernel.  Currently
              registered  ciphers  can  be  reviewed  at /proc/crypto.  The content of this file,
              however, can change when new ciphers are registered. The  NAME  argument  is  given
              directly  to  the Linux kernel crypto API. The chosen cipher must be of type rng as
              marked in /proc/crypto.  If this option is not used, the cipher stdrng is  used  as
              default.

       --hex  The  generated  random  numbers are print out in hexadecimal notation instead of as
              binary string.

       -v, --verbose
              Enable a  verbose  operation  of  kcapi-rng.   Using  this  option  multiple  times
              increases the verbosity.

       -q, --quiet
              Prevent the generation of any log output.

       -h, --help
              Display the help text.

       --version
              Display the version number of the kcapi-rng application.

SEE ALSO

       kcapi-enc(1) kcapi-dgst(1) kcapi-hasher(1)

                                            2017-08-14                               KCAPI-RNG(1)