Re: Randomness testing

[Jim Burnes <jvb@ssds.com>]

On Fri, 2 Oct 1998, Clifford Heath wrote:

> We have been asked by a customer if we have any tests that demonstrate 
> the randomness of the SSLeay random number generator (augmented by some
> sound-card random number seeding that we wrote).
> 
> I'd like to find some standard implementation for testing randomness, but 
> Schneier offers no help (other than a reference to Knuth Vol 2), and I
> don't know where else to turn.
> 
> I realise that cryptographic randomness requires unpredictability, and
> this quality depends upon closed-world assumptions about unknown individuals'
> predictive powers, but we have to live with that.
> 

You mean you don't have a copy of Knuth, Vol 2.  For shame!

I'm too lazy to look it up for you, but I believe the two tests
are called the Run test and the Chi-square method.

(trying to remember from my own dusty compSci memories)

jim