Re: [TCLUG:14564] Hardware accelerator under linux?

["Eric M. Hopper" <hopper@omnifarious.mn.org>]

On Sat, Mar 11, 2000 at 10:08:46AM -0600, Peter Lukas wrote:
> I've only seen them available for commercial products, like the
> Chrysalis-ITS.  It's PCI, and will eventually make its way into the Nokia
> firewall (ala OpenBSD), so there's a potential for it to eventually make
> its way into the Linux kernel.
> 
> Redcreek makes a IPSec adapter for NT, and it's boasted to be supported
> under Linux 2.2.  It'll handle DES and 3DES at an advertised 45Mbps.
> They don't offer any prices on their website, so you'll probably have to
> speak with a rep:
> http://www.midwestlinux.com/products/redcreek/ipsecpci.html
> or at 
> http://www.redcreek.com/products/ipsec.html
> The press release is here:
> http://www.redhat.com/partners/press_partner_redcreek.html
> 
> For the time being, I'd hit up a faster encryption cipher like
> blowfish (if you haven't already).  You may also want to disable
> compression and other extraneous cpu-intensive functions (besides, the
> blowfish compression algorithm has some exploitable features).

	Is the compression algorithm part of the encryption algorithm?
I was always under the impression that zlib was used on the data prior
to encryption.

	I know Blowfish has some general minor security problems.  You
might want to try Twofish, which is also by Schneier & Co, and is faster
than Blowfish, has a larger keylength, and supposedly doesn't have any
exploits.  Twofish, being newer, is much less well tested the Blowfish
though, so the lack of exploits may be illusory.

	Twofish is supposed to be really fast though, and he has some
Intel assembly implementations of the algorithm on his website.
(http://www.counterpane.com).

Have fun (if at all possible),
-- 
Its name is Public Opinion.  It is held in reverence. It settles everything.
Some think it is the voice of God.  Loyalty to petrified opinion never yet
broke a chain or freed a human soul.     ---Mark Twain
-- Eric Hopper (hopper@omnifarious.mn.org  http://omnifarious.mn.org/~hopper) --

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