https://pthree.org/2014/12/07/use-dev-random-instead-of-dev-null/ <https://pthree.org/2014/12/07/use-dev-random-instead-of-dev-null/>
On a related note, it’s well worth reading “Myths about /dev/urandom” (http://www.2uo.de/myths-about-urandom/ <http://www.2uo.de/myths-about-urandom/> ) as well as the pages it references. Linux’s use of the blocking-when-entropy-is-low /dev/random is somewhat confusing, and at times very frustrating - and for the vast majority of use cases, completely unnecessary.
( I raise this only because the quoted article above still suggests that you need to keep the “entropy pool topped off at full”, which is perpetuating the myth)
And amusingly, Aaron Toponce (who owns pthree.org <http://pthree.org/> above) was the author of the other great article I read on how people misunderstand /dev/urandom: https://pthree.org/2014/07/21/the-linux-random-number-generator/ <https://pthree.org/2014/07/21/the-linux-random-number-generator/>. Also worth a read. (And yet,) he still suggests that “topping off” /dev/random is something you need to do ! )