stdlib: Simplify arc4random_uniform

It uses the bitmask with rejection [1], which calculates a mask
being the lowest power of two bounding the request upper bound,
successively queries new random values, and rejects values
outside the requested range.

Performance-wise, there is no much gain in trying to conserve
bits since arc4random is wrapper on getrandom syscall.  It should
be cheaper to just query a uint32_t value.  The algorithm also
avoids modulo and divide operations, which might be costly
depending of the architecture.

[1] https://www.pcg-random.org/posts/bounded-rands.html

Reviewed-by: Yann Droneaud <ydroneaud@opteya.com>
This commit is contained in:
Adhemerval Zanella 2022-07-28 09:18:01 -03:00
parent 7187efd0aa
commit c622ac1b86

View file

@ -17,38 +17,19 @@
License along with the GNU C Library; if not, see License along with the GNU C Library; if not, see
<https://www.gnu.org/licenses/>. */ <https://www.gnu.org/licenses/>. */
#include <endian.h>
#include <libc-lock.h>
#include <stdlib.h> #include <stdlib.h>
#include <sys/param.h> #include <sys/param.h>
/* Return the number of bytes which cover values up to the limit. */ /* Return a uniformly distributed random number less than N. The algorithm
__attribute__ ((const)) calculates a mask being the lowest power of two bounding the upper bound
static uint32_t N, successively queries new random values, and rejects values outside of
byte_count (uint32_t n) the request range.
{
if (n < (1U << 8))
return 1;
else if (n < (1U << 16))
return 2;
else if (n < (1U << 24))
return 3;
else
return 4;
}
/* Fill the lower bits of the result with randomness, according to the For reject values, it also tries if the remaining entropy could fit on
number of bytes requested. */ the asked range after range adjustment.
static void
random_bytes (uint32_t *result, uint32_t byte_count)
{
*result = 0;
unsigned char *ptr = (unsigned char *) result;
if (__BYTE_ORDER == __BIG_ENDIAN)
ptr += 4 - byte_count;
__arc4random_buf (ptr, byte_count);
}
The algorithm avoids modulo and divide operations, which might be costly
depending on the architecture. */
uint32_t uint32_t
__arc4random_uniform (uint32_t n) __arc4random_uniform (uint32_t n)
{ {
@ -57,83 +38,33 @@ __arc4random_uniform (uint32_t n)
only possible result for limit 1. */ only possible result for limit 1. */
return 0; return 0;
/* The bits variable serves as a source for bits. Prefetch the
minimum number of bytes needed. */
uint32_t count = byte_count (n);
uint32_t bits_length = count * CHAR_BIT;
uint32_t bits;
random_bytes (&bits, count);
/* Powers of two are easy. */ /* Powers of two are easy. */
if (powerof2 (n)) if (powerof2 (n))
return bits & (n - 1); return __arc4random () & (n - 1);
/* The general case. This algorithm follows Jérémie Lumbroso, /* mask is the smallest power of 2 minus 1 number larger than n. */
Optimal Discrete Uniform Generation from Coin Flips, and int z = __builtin_clz (n);
Applications (2013), who credits Donald E. Knuth and Andrew uint32_t mask = ~UINT32_C(0) >> z;
C. Yao, The complexity of nonuniform random number generation int bits = CHAR_BIT * sizeof (uint32_t) - z;
(1976), for solving the general case.
The implementation below unrolls the initialization stage of the while (1)
loop, where v is less than n. */
/* Use 64-bit variables even though the intermediate results are
never larger than 33 bits. This ensures the code is easier to
compile on 64-bit architectures. */
uint64_t v;
uint64_t c;
/* Initialize v and c. v is the smallest power of 2 which is larger
than n.*/
{
uint32_t log2p1 = 32 - __builtin_clz (n);
v = 1ULL << log2p1;
c = bits & (v - 1);
bits >>= log2p1;
bits_length -= log2p1;
}
/* At the start of the loop, c is uniformly distributed within the
half-open interval [0, v), and v < 2n < 2**33. */
while (true)
{ {
if (v >= n) uint32_t value = __arc4random ();
{
/* If the candidate is less than n, accept it. */
if (c < n)
/* c is uniformly distributed on [0, n). */
return c;
else
{
/* c is uniformly distributed on [n, v). */
v -= n;
c -= n;
/* The distribution was shifted, so c is uniformly
distributed on [0, v) again. */
}
}
/* v < n here. */
/* Replenish the bit source if necessary. */ /* Return if the lower power of 2 minus 1 satisfy the condition. */
if (bits_length == 0) uint32_t r = value & mask;
{ if (r < n)
/* Overwrite the least significant byte. */ return r;
random_bytes (&bits, 1);
bits_length = CHAR_BIT;
}
/* Double the range. No overflow because v < n < 2**32. */ /* Otherwise check if remaining bits of entropy provides fits in the
v *= 2; bound. */
/* v < 2n here. */ for (int bits_left = z; bits_left >= bits; bits_left -= bits)
{
/* Extract a bit and append it to c. c remains less than v and value >>= bits;
thus 2**33. */ r = value & mask;
c = (c << 1) | (bits & 1); if (r < n)
bits >>= 1; return r;
--bits_length; }
/* At this point, c is uniformly distributed on [0, v) again,
and v < 2n < 2**33. */
} }
} }
libc_hidden_def (__arc4random_uniform) libc_hidden_def (__arc4random_uniform)