Export Password Secret Seed

[BigDave]

My test server is now on the 9.10 Nightlies update train cause I must tinker with something...

So this morning there appears an available update, and being the experienced admin of the
families archive that I am, I need to save a copy of my config BEFORE proceeding with any
changes RIGHT?

Clicking on the Save Config "button" produces this pop up window.


what the hell is the function of a "secret seed"?

There is no mention of this in the Docs or The Forums...

The only thing Google comes up with is references to gardening.

 

[Jailer]

My guess would be it's for a random password but for what I have no idea.

About the best I could find via google:

Encryption is powered by random numbers, but how do you generate a truly random number? The current millisecond? The number of processor threads in use? You need a starting point. This is called a seed: it kicks off a random number.

https://security.stackexchange.com/...fferences-between-an-encryption-seed-and-salt

 

[Ericloewe]

It's bound to be a cryptographic seed, presumably to encrypt the passwords contained in the config file (for email and stuff), for which FreeNAS has to be able to obtain the plaintext.

And I was right: https://bugs.freenas.org/issues/19610

 

[Jailer]

And yet another example of why you don't guess. :)

No extra credit for me.

 

[gpsguy]

It's already documented on page 3 and 55 in the 9.10.3 PDF docs.

I wasn't going to post it on my website until 9.10.3 shipped, but if there is interest, I can do it early. And, refresh it as new commits are made to the docs.

There is no mention of this in the Docs or ...

 

[wblock]

It's in the HTML version, too, but that doesn't appear until release or someone builds it themselves.

 

[BigDave]

Thanks to all of you for taking the time to respond. I can now see I'm going to
have some more patience since switching to the Nightlies, there's going to be
a lot of this new stuff pop up. I must stop with the wtf attitude
and try to think, aha! something new to learn about.
It's hard to teach an old dog new tricks;)
Dave