Re: [PATCH] zsh/random module [UPDATED]

[nimaje+zml@bureaucracy.de]

On 11/24/22 03:58, Clinton Bunch wrote:
> [snip]
>>> +/**/
>>> +int
>>> +setup_(UNUSED(Module m))
>>> +{
>>> +#ifdef USE_URANDOM
>>> +    /* Check for the existence of /dev/urandom */
>>> +
>>> +    struct stat st;
>>> +
>>> +    if (lstat("/dev/urandom",&st) < 0) {
>> Why not stat()?
> Is it appropriate for /dev/urandom to be a symlink?

Yes, for example that is the case on freebsd where urandom is just a 
symlink to random for compatibility with programs that expect urandom to 
be there (random blocks until the randomness pool is seeded and then 
doesn't block anymore).

>>
>>> +    zwarn("No kernel random pool found.");
>>> +    return 1;
>>> +    }
>>> +
>>> +    if (!(S_ISCHR(st.st_mode)) ) {
>>> +    zwarn("No kernel random pool found.");
>>> +    return 1;
>>> +    }

So this check would be wrong on freebsd (or use random directly and give 
an option to use urandom on systems where random starts to block for 
some reason after being seeded, but no idea if there is a good reason 
for random being a symlink).

>[snip]