Bug #12139: return OpenSSL::Random.random_bytes(n) call takes to long. OpenSSL:: bug on windows.

• Status: Closed
• Assignee: -
• Target version: -
• ruby -v: 2.2.4
• Backport: 2.1: WONTFIX, 2.2: DONE, 2.3: DONE

[Justin (Justin Ward)]

I have been a windows dev for a while now. I have never solved this rails startup issue. Running one Rspec test takes rails 22 seconds to load on my PC. When I (temporarily) comment out the line in securerandom.rb and replace it with a hardcoded return the startup time is reduced to 10 seconds.

#return OpenSSL::Random.random_bytes(n)
return "\xD3\x04F\f0\xD6{G\xB9\x81"

I can duplicate this on a windows 7 and windows 10 PC.

I have the lastest version of OpenSSL (1.02) installed.

Tickets like this have been reported before, but they get closed without being solved for unknown reasons. Please share the joy of Ruby with us PC users :).
See this more more info: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/29984838/openssl-causing-very-slow-rails-boot-time-on-windows/35749120#35749120

[nobu (Nobuyoshi Nakada)]

• Status changed from Open to Feedback

Maybe the entropy pool exhausted?
Does moving mouse or typing keyboard wake up OpenSSL?

[nobu (Nobuyoshi Nakada)]

• Description updated (diff)

[naruse (Yui NARUSE)]

Your issue sounds related with https://wiki.openssl.org/index.php/Random_Numbers#Windows_Issues
But Bug 2100 the heap walk issue is closed.

Anyway maybe SecureRandom, RSpec actually calls, should use CryptGenRandom instead of openssl.

[Justin (Justin Ward)]

Nobuyoshi Nakada wrote:

Maybe the entropy pool exhausted?
Does moving mouse or typing keyboard wake up OpenSSL?

In the 22 seconds it takes rails to load i am usually writing code, so OpenSSL does not get woken up by keyboard or mouse activity.

[Justin (Justin Ward)]

Yui NARUSE wrote:

Your issue sounds related with https://wiki.openssl.org/index.php/Random_Numbers#Windows_Issues
But Bug 2100 the heap walk issue is closed.

Anyway maybe SecureRandom, RSpec actually calls, should use CryptGenRandom instead of openssl.

CryptGenRandom would be an excellent solution in my opinion :)

[usa (Usaku NAKAMURA)]

Random.raw_seed is an alternative to OpenSSL::Random.random_seed.
This calls CryptGenRandom internally.

BTW, I could not reproduce the problem on my environment (x64-mswin64, Win7, OpenSSL 1.0.2f).
Calling OpenSSL::Random.random_bytes 10,000,000 times takes about 11 seconds, but I think it's not so slow.
Calling Random.raw_seed is a little faster, but only 6.7%.

D:\ruby> ruby -ropenssl -e"t = Time.now; 10_000_000.times{}; p Time.now - t"
0.541031

D:\ruby> ruby -ropenssl -e"t = Time.now; 10_000_000.times{OpenSSL::Random.random_bytes(16)}; p Time.now - t"
11.243643

D:\ruby> ruby -e"t = Time.now; 10_000_000.times{Random.raw_seed(16)}; p Time.now - t"
10.533603

[usa (Usaku NAKAMURA)]

Sorry, I've forgotten to note that Random.raw_seed is Ruby 2.3 feature.

[naruse (Yui NARUSE)]

• Status changed from Feedback to Closed

Applied in changeset r54144.

---

• lib/securerandom.rb (gen_random): to avoid blocking on Windows.
  On Windows OpenSSL RAND_bytes (underlying implementation is
  RAND_poll in crypto/rand/rand_win.c) may be blocked at
  NetStatisticsGet.
  https://wiki.openssl.org/index.php/Random_Numbers#Windows_Issues
  Instead of this, use Random.raw_seed directory (whose implementation
  CryptGenRandom is one of the source of
  entropy of RAND_poll on Windows).
  https://wiki.openssl.org/index.php/Random_Numbers
  Note: CryptGenRandom function is PRNG and doesn't check its entropy,
  so it won't block. [Bug #12139]
  https://msdn.microsoft.com/ja-jp/library/windows/desktop/aa379942.aspx
  https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc4086#section-7.1.3
  https://eprint.iacr.org/2007/419.pdf
  http://www.cs.huji.ac.il/~dolev/pubs/thesis/msc-thesis-leo.pdf

[usa (Usaku NAKAMURA)]

• Backport changed from 2.1: UNKNOWN, 2.2: UNKNOWN, 2.3: UNKNOWN to 2.1: WONTFIX, 2.2: REQUIRED, 2.3: REQUIRED

[usa (Usaku NAKAMURA)]

• Backport changed from 2.1: WONTFIX, 2.2: REQUIRED, 2.3: REQUIRED to 2.1: WONTFIX, 2.2: DONE, 2.3: REQUIRED

ruby_2_2 r54693 merged revision(s) 54144.

[nagachika (Tomoyuki Chikanaga)]

• Backport changed from 2.1: WONTFIX, 2.2: DONE, 2.3: REQUIRED to 2.1: WONTFIX, 2.2: DONE, 2.3: DONE

ruby_2_3 r54713 merged revision(s) 54144,54699.