EGD

An Entropy Gathering Daemon (EGD) written in Python 3.

EGD requires Python 3.2 or later.

Command-Line Usage

The EGD daemon can be controlled through various command-line options:

Basic Operations

egd --start         # Start the daemon
egd --stop          # Stop the daemon gracefully
egd --status        # Check daemon status and entropy statistics

Advanced Options

Starting with Force

egd --start --force  # Start daemon even if lock file exists

⚠️ Use with caution - only when you're sure no other instance is running

Managing Entropy

# Get 32 bytes of entropy (256 bits, suitable for an AES key)
egd --getentropy 32 > key.bin

# Get 64 bytes of entropy (512 bits)
egd --getentropy 64 > large_key.bin

Note: If insufficient entropy is available, fewer bytes than requested may be returned to maintain quality.

Manual Pool Persistence

egd --persist  # Manually save entropy pool to disk

Common Usage Patterns

1. System Boot

   • Start the daemon: egd --start

2. Regular Operation

   • Check status: egd --status
   • Request entropy: egd --getentropy N

3. System Shutdown

   • Stop daemon: egd --stop

Use Cases

• Cryptographic Key Generation

  egd --getentropy 32 > crypto.key

• Random Number Generator Seeding

  egd --getentropy 16 > rng_seed.bin

• System Maintenance

  egd --persist   # Backup entropy pool
  egd --stop      # Stop daemon
  # ... perform maintenance ...
  egd --start     # Restart daemon

Author

Fran Litterio
flitterio -at- gmail -dot- com