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.TH "SYSTEMD\-BOOT\-RANDOM\-SEED\&.SERVICE" "8" "" "systemd 255" "systemd-boot-random-seed.service"
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.SH "NAME"
systemd-boot-random-seed.service \- Refresh boot loader random seed at boot
.SH "SYNOPSIS"
.PP
systemd\-boot\-random\-seed\&.service
.SH "DESCRIPTION"
.PP
systemd\-boot\-random\-seed\&.service
is a system service that automatically refreshes the boot loader random seed stored in the EFI System Partition (ESP), from the Linux kernel entropy pool\&. The boot loader random seed is primarily consumed and updated by
\fBsystemd-boot\fR(7)
from the UEFI environment (or
\fBsystemd-stub\fR(7)
if the former is not used, but the latter is), and passed as initial RNG seed to the OS\&. It is an effective way to ensure the OS comes up with a random pool that is fully initialized\&.
.PP
The service also automatically generates a \*(Aqsystem token\*(Aq to store in an EFI variable in the system\*(Aqs NVRAM\&. The boot loader may then combine the on\-disk random seed and the system token by cryptographic hashing, and pass it to the OS it boots as initialization seed for its entropy pool\&. Note: the random seed stored in the ESP is refreshed on
\fIevery\fR
reboot ensuring that multiple subsequent boots will boot with different seeds\&. On the other hand, the system token is generated randomly
\fIonce\fR, and then persistently stored in the system\*(Aqs EFI variable storage, ensuring the same disk image won\*(Aqt result in the same series of boot loader seed values if used on multiple systems in parallel\&.
.PP
The
systemd\-boot\-random\-seed\&.service
unit invokes the
\fBbootctl random\-seed\fR
command, which updates the random seed in the ESP, and initializes the system token if it\*(Aqs not initialized yet\&. The service is conditionalized so that it is run only when a boot loader is used that implements the
\m[blue]\fBBoot Loader Interface\fR\m[]\&\s-2\u[1]\d\s+2\&.
.PP
For further details see
\fBbootctl\fR(1), regarding the command this service invokes\&.
.PP
Note the relationship between
systemd\-boot\-random\-seed\&.service
and
\fBsystemd-random-seed\fR(8)\&. The former maintains the random seed consumed and updated by the boot environment (i\&.e\&. by
\fBsystemd-boot\fR(7)
or
\fBsystemd-stub\fR(7)), the latter maintains a random seed consumed and updated by the OS itself\&. The former ensures that the OS has a filled entropy pool already during earliest boot when regular disk access is not available yet (i\&.e\&. when the OS random seed cannot be loaded yet)\&. The latter is processed much later, once writable disk access is available\&. Thus it cannot be used to seed the initial boot phase, but typically has much higher quality of entropy\&. Both files are consumed and updated at boot, but at different times\&. Specifically:
.sp
.RS 4
.ie n \{\
\h'-04' 1.\h'+01'\c
.\}
.el \{\
.sp -1
.IP "  1." 4.2
.\}
In UEFI mode, the
\fBsystemd-boot\fR(7)
or
\fBsystemd-stub\fR(7)
components load the boot loader random seed from the ESP, hash it with available entropy and the system token, and then update it on disk\&. A derived seed is passed to the kernel which writes it to its entropy pool\&.
.RE
.sp
.RS 4
.ie n \{\
\h'-04' 2.\h'+01'\c
.\}
.el \{\
.sp -1
.IP "  2." 4.2
.\}
In userspace the
systemd\-random\-seed\&.service
service loads the OS random seed, writes it to the kernel entropy pool, and then updates it on disk with a new value derived from the kernel entropy pool\&.
.RE
.sp
.RS 4
.ie n \{\
\h'-04' 3.\h'+01'\c
.\}
.el \{\
.sp -1
.IP "  3." 4.2
.\}
In userspace the
systemd\-boot\-random\-seed\&.service
service updates the boot loader random seed with a new value derived from the kernel entropy pool\&.
.RE
.PP
This logic should ensure that the kernel\*(Aqs entropy pool is seeded during earliest bool already, if possible, but the highest quality entropy is propagated back to both on\-disk seeds\&.
.SH "SEE ALSO"
.PP
\fBsystemd\fR(1),
\fBrandom\fR(4),
\fBbootctl\fR(1),
\fBsystemd-boot\fR(7),
\fBsystemd-stub\fR(7),
\fBsystemd-random-seed.service\fR(8)
.SH "NOTES"
.IP " 1." 4
Boot Loader Interface
.RS 4
\%https://systemd.io/BOOT_LOADER_INTERFACE
.RE