Random value production methods and systems
View Patent ↗Embodiments of methods and systems for producing random values include a first module that provides a random data request (e.g., a request for an unspecified length of random data) to a random number generator. The random number generator generates random data in response to the random data request, and multiple random values derived from the random data are stored in a buffer. In response to receiving a request for a random value (e.g., an initialization vector), the first module produces the random value based on the multiple random values stored in the buffer. The system also may be configured to receive requests for other types of random values, and to fulfill those requests using random data that is not buffered (e.g., random data that is received directly from the random number generator in response to a request for a specified length of random data).
1. A method for producing random values, the method comprising the steps of:
providing a first random data request to a random number generator;
generating, by the random number generator, first random data in response to the first random data request;
storing multiple random values derived from the first random data in a data structure;
receiving, from a first random value requester, a first random value request for a random value of a first type;
in response to receiving the first random value request, producing the random value of the first type based on a random value of the multiple random values stored in the data structure;
sending the random value of the first type to the first random value requester;
providing a second random data request to the random number generator in response to receiving a second random value request for a random value of a second type;
receiving second random data from the random number generator in response to sending the second random data request; and
sending the random value of the second type, which is derived from the second random data, to a requester of the random value of the second type.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first type is a type of random value corresponding to an initialization vector used to encrypt data packets.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first random data request is a request for an unspecified length of random data.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second random data request is a request for a specified length of random data.
5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the steps, performed by the first random value requester, of:
receiving a third random value request from a requesting module;
sending the first random value request in response to receiving the third random value request;
receiving the random value of the first type in response to sending the first random value request; and
sending the random value of the first type to the requesting module.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the first random data request is sent to a first port of the random number generator; and
the second random data request is sent to a second port of the random number generator.
7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
selectively enabling storing the multiple random values in the data structure and producing the random values based on random value requests.
8. A method for producing random values, the method comprising the steps of:
providing a first random data request to a random number generator;
generating, by the random number generator, first random data in response to the first random data request;
storing multiple random values derived from the first random data in a buffer;
receiving an initialization vector request from an initialization vector requestor;
in response to receiving the initialization vector request, producing an initialization vector based on one of the multiple random values stored in the buffer;
sending the initialization vector to the initialization vector requester;
providing a second random data request to the random number generator in response to receiving a random value request for a random value other than an initialization vector; and
receiving second random data from the random number generator in response to sending the second random data request.
9. The method of claim 8 , wherein providing the first random data request comprises asserting a request for an unspecified length of random data.
10. The method of claim 8 , wherein providing the second random data request comprises asserting a request for a specified length of random data.
11. The method of claim 8 , further comprising:
determining whether the buffer is full; and
when the buffer is full, de-asserting the request for the unspecified length of random data.
12. The method of claim 8 , further comprising:
after sending the initialization vector to the initialization vector requester, determining whether the buffer is full; and
when the buffer is not full, re-asserting the request for the unspecified length of random data.
13. A system comprising:
a random number generator configured to generate random data in response to random data requests;
a data structure configured to store multiple random values, wherein the multiple random values are derived from first random data generated by the random number generator in response to first random data requests;
a first module coupled to the random number generator and to the data structure, and configured to provide the first random data requests to the random number generator, to receive first random value requests for first random values of a first type from a requester of the first random values, and to send the first random values to the requester of the first random values in response to the first random value requests, wherein the first random values are derived from the multiple random values stored in the data structure; and
a second module coupled to the random number generator and configured to provide second random data requests to the random number generator in response to receiving second random value requests for second random values of a second type from a requester of the second random values, to receive second random data from the random number generator in response to sending the second random data requests, and to send the second random values, which are derived from the second random data, to the requester of the second random values.
14. The system of claim 13 , wherein the first type is a type of random value corresponding to an initialization vector used to encrypt data packets.
15. The system of claim 13 , wherein the second module is further configured to receive third random value requests for the first random values from a third module, to send the first random value requests to the first module in response to receiving the third random value requests, to receive the first random values from the first module in response to sending the first random value requests, and to send the first random values to the third module.
16. The system of claim 13 , wherein the random number generator comprises:
a first port for receiving the first random data requests from the first module; and
a second port for receiving the second random data requests from the second module.
17. The system of claim 13 , wherein the random number generator is coupled to the data structure, and the random number generator is further configured to store the first random data in the data structure as the multiple random values.
18. The system of claim 13 , wherein the first module is further configured to receive the first random data from the random number generator, and to store the first random data in the data structure as the multiple random values.
19. The system of claim 13 , wherein the random number generator is a deterministic random number generator.
20. The system of claim 13 , wherein the data structure is a first-in, first-out buffer.