Dev-random: Difference between revisions
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{{dablink|The formal name of this article is /dev/random, but has been renamed due to technical limitations of the MediaWiki system.}} | {{dablink|The formal name of this article is /dev/random, but has been renamed due to technical limitations of the MediaWiki system.}} | ||
In [[Unix]] and [[Unix-like]] [[operating systems]], '''/dev/random''' is a special file, which serves as a generator of random | In [[Unix]] and [[Unix-like]] [[operating systems]], '''/dev/random''' is a special file, which serves as a generator of [[random number]]s. This can be either a truly random number, generated from system noise such as [[device driver|device drivers]], or a pseudorandom number generator, in which the numbers are not truly random, but based on an algorithm which creates a diverse range of numbers. | ||
==Related topics== | ==Related topics== | ||
[[dev-null|/dev/null]] | [[dev-null|/dev/null]] | ||
Revision as of 18:35, 12 October 2008
In Unix and Unix-like operating systems, /dev/random is a special file, which serves as a generator of random numbers. This can be either a truly random number, generated from system noise such as device drivers, or a pseudorandom number generator, in which the numbers are not truly random, but based on an algorithm which creates a diverse range of numbers.