Gentoo Archives: gentoo-amd64

From: Maciej Grela <maciej.grela@×××××.com>
To: gentoo-amd64@l.g.o
Subject: Re: [gentoo-amd64] Kernel Cryptographic API
Date: Tue, 14 Sep 2010 09:03:34
Message-Id: AANLkTi=YOBxovUwRUEQXKWajbyDRi4mz4Zkja7nROyoZ@mail.gmail.com
In Reply to: [gentoo-amd64] Kernel Cryptographic API by Frank Peters
1 2010/9/14 Frank Peters <frank.peters@×××××××.net>:
2 > Hello,
3 >
4 > I just installed Gentoo on a new Core i7 based machine.  After doing a bit
5 > of research on the best compile flags to use for this processor, I came
6 > across the advice to enable the kernel cryptograhic API.  It seems that
7 > the kernel can make good use of the SSE 4.2 instruction set on the  Core i7
8 > to do the cryptographic work.
9 >
10 > My system is mainly a desktop workstation that is used for business/home
11 > functions such as word processing, database work, image processing, audio
12 > processing, custom programming etc.  There is no networking involved other
13 > than a DHCP link to an ISP.
14 >
15 > I suppose that in my case the cryptographic API would be useless.  Are the
16 > kernel crypto routines used by any common software, or are they limited to
17 > IPsec and other similar things?  Does openssl or pz7ip use the crytpo API?
18 >
19 > If it is advisable for a desktop workstation to use the crypto API, what
20 > specific routines should be enabled?  There are a lot of individual routines
21 > within the crypto API.
22 >
23
24 The kernel crypto-api is also used for dm-crypt IIRC.
25
26 Br,
27 Maciej Grela