Entries Tagged ‘Hardware Random Number Generator’

Are random numbers a solved function?

Wednesday, March 7th, 2012 by Robert Cravotta

RNGs (Random number generators) have been used across a wide range of applications for many decades. They can be implemented in a variety of forms. Pure software algorithms enable using a specific sequence of “random” numbers at a later time, such as when performing simulation functions or debugging a system, by tracking the same seed value for the algorithm. Some processors include a hardware random number generator to provide as sequence of numbers that are as close to a true random sequence as possible.

However, the suitability of a sequence of random numbers can vary based on the context of the application that is using them. For example, devices that select random tracks of music to play have undergone an evolution from a true random sequence to one that strips out repetitive appearances of the same number that occur too close to one another in the sequence.

Are random number generators a solved function for system developers? Because not all RNGs are equal in their randomness, does that affect a porting effort when moving not just from one processor to another, but from one software development toolset to another? Have you been bitten by assumptions about an RNG that turned out to be horribly unsuitable to your application, or are RNGS mature enough that such horror stories are a thing of the past?