Linux kernel mirror (for testing) git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux.git
kernel os linux

hwrng: doc - Fix device node name reference /dev/hw_random => /dev/hwrng

In April 2009, commit d405640 ("Driver Core: misc: add node name support
for misc devices.") inadvertently changed the device node name from
/dev/hw_random to /dev/hwrng. Since 6 years has passed since the change
it seems unpractical to change it back, as this node name is probably
considered ABI by now. So instead, we'll just change the documentation
to match the current situation.

NB: It looks like rng-tools have already been updated.

Signed-off-by: Lee Jones <lee.jones@linaro.org>
Acked-by: Kieran Bingham <kieranbingham@gmail.com>
Signed-off-by: Herbert Xu <herbert@gondor.apana.org.au>

authored by

Lee Jones and committed by
Herbert Xu
e9e23158 4dd17c9c

+4 -4
+4 -4
Documentation/hw_random.txt
··· 3 3 The hw_random framework is software that makes use of a 4 4 special hardware feature on your CPU or motherboard, 5 5 a Random Number Generator (RNG). The software has two parts: 6 - a core providing the /dev/hw_random character device and its 6 + a core providing the /dev/hwrng character device and its 7 7 sysfs support, plus a hardware-specific driver that plugs 8 8 into that core. 9 9 ··· 14 14 15 15 http://sourceforge.net/projects/gkernel/ 16 16 17 - Those tools use /dev/hw_random to fill the kernel entropy pool, 17 + Those tools use /dev/hwrng to fill the kernel entropy pool, 18 18 which is used internally and exported by the /dev/urandom and 19 19 /dev/random special files. 20 20 ··· 32 32 The rng-tools package uses such tests in "rngd", and lets you 33 33 run them by hand with a "rngtest" utility. 34 34 35 - /dev/hw_random is char device major 10, minor 183. 35 + /dev/hwrng is char device major 10, minor 183. 36 36 37 37 CLASS DEVICE. There is a /sys/class/misc/hw_random node with 38 38 two unique attributes, "rng_available" and "rng_current". The 39 39 "rng_available" attribute lists the hardware-specific drivers 40 40 available, while "rng_current" lists the one which is currently 41 - connected to /dev/hw_random. If your system has more than one 41 + connected to /dev/hwrng. If your system has more than one 42 42 RNG available, you may change the one used by writing a name from 43 43 the list in "rng_available" into "rng_current". 44 44