Random number generation security

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9575728-B1
Application number	US-201615082094-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Mar 28, 2016
Priority date	Dec 7, 2015
Publication date	Feb 21, 2017
Grant date	Feb 21, 2017

Abstract

A technique for improving random number generation (RNG) security for a data processing system includes a storage subsystem of a processing unit receiving a first deliver a random number (DARN) operation. The storage subsystem issues the first DARN operation with a first value, retrieved from a first base address register (BAR), on a first bus. The processing unit receives (from a first RNG unit) at least one of a first data and a first indication (that indicate whether the first RNG unit is functional) when a second value stored in a second BAR of the first RNG unit is the same as the first value. In response to the first and second values not being the same or the first RNG unit not being functional, the storage subsystem issues the first DARN operation with the first value on a second bus that is coupled to a second RNG unit.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of improving random number generation security for a data processing system, comprising:
receiving, at a storage subsystem, a first deliver a random number (DARN) operation from a processor core associated with the storage subsystem, wherein the processor core is included in a processing unit included among first processing units of a first processing cluster;
in response to receiving the first DARN operation at the storage system, retrieving, by the storage subsystem, a first value from a first base address register (BAR) of the storage subsystem, wherein the first value corresponds to an address of an assigned random number generator (RNG) unit;
issuing, by the storage subsystem, the first DARN operation with the first value on a first bus, wherein the first bus couples the first processing units to a first RNG unit;
in response to issuing the first DARN operation on the first bus, receiving, by the processing unit, at least one of a first data and a first indication from the first RNG unit when a second value stored in a second BAR of the first RNG unit is the same as the first value, wherein at least one of the first data and the first indication specifies whether the first RNG unit is functional; and
in response to the first value not being the same as the second value or the first RNG unit not being functional, issuing, by the storage subsystem, the first DARN operation with the first value on a second bus that couples the first processing units to a second processing cluster that includes second processing units and an associated second RNG unit.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first data indicates whether the first RNG unit is functional.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first indication indicates whether the first RNG unit is functional.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the first indication is provided on a different communication path from the first data.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first and second RNG units are within a same processing node.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
in response to issuing the second DARN operation on the second bus, receiving, by the processing unit, at least one of a second data and a second indication from the second RNG unit when a third value stored in a third BAR of the second RNG unit is the same as the first value, wherein at least one the second data and the second indication specifies whether the second RNG unit is functional; and
in response to the first value not being the same as the third value or the second RNG unit not being functional, issuing, by the storage subsystem, the first DARN operation with the first value on a third bus that couples the first processing units to a second processing node that includes one or more additional RNG units.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
storing the first data in a register associated with the processor core.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first and second RNG units are within a same processing node.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first DARN operation with the first value also includes a type for a random number requested, and wherein the type specifies one of raw and conditioned.

10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
creating an RNG unit mapping list in a memory, wherein the RNG unit mapping list assigns RNG units included in the data processing system to storage subsystems included in the data processing system.

11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:
setting values of BARs of the storage subsystems and values of BARs of the RNG units to associate the storage subsystems with the RNG units.

12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
removing the RNG units that are non-functional from the RNG unit mapping list;
reassigning the storage subsystems that were assigned to the RNG units that are non-functional to one or more new RNG units that are functional in the RNG unit mapping list; and
modifying the BARs in the reassigned storage subsystems to associate the reassigned storage subsystems with the new RNG units.

Assignees

• IBM

Inventors

• Blaner Bartholomew
• Herrenschmidt Benjamin
• Stanton David A Larson
• Williams Derek E

Classifications

• G06F7/588 Primary

  Random number generators, i.e. based on natural stochastic processes · CPC title