EzRand Component

Properties   Methods   Events   Config Settings   Errors  

The EzRand component can be used to generate random numbers or bytes using a variety of algorithms.

Syntax

nsoftware.IPWorksEncrypt.EzRand

Remarks

The EzRand component can be used to generate random numbers or bytes using a variety of algorithms and implementations.

To begin first set the Algorithm property to the desired value. This property specifies the algorithm and implementation that will be used to generate the number or bytes. Possible choices include ISAAC, the Microsoft Crypto API, and platform specific random and secure random implementations.

Next set Min and Max to define the acceptable range of values when generating an integer. The Seed property may optionally be set. Then simply call GetNextInt to generate a random number. the RandInt property will be populated with the generated value.

To generate a random set of bytes set RandBytesLength to the desired number of bytes and call GetNextBytes.

Property List

The following is the full list of the properties of the component with short descriptions. Click on the links for further details.

AlgorithmThe random number algorithm.
MaxThe exclusive upper bound.
MinThe inclusive lower bound.
RandBytesThe random byte array.
RandBytesLengthThe length of the byte array to be generated.
RandIntThe random integer.
SeedThe seed.

Method List

The following is the full list of the methods of the component with short descriptions. Click on the links for further details.

ConfigSets or retrieves a configuration setting.
GetNextBytesGenerates a sequence of random bytes.
GetNextIntGenerates a random integer.
ResetResets the component.

Event List

The following is the full list of the events fired by the component with short descriptions. Click on the links for further details.

ErrorFired when information is available about errors during data delivery.

Config Settings

The following is a list of config settings for the component with short descriptions. Click on the links for further details.

OutputEncodingThe encoding applied to the generated bytes.
BuildInfoInformation about the product's build.
GUIAvailableWhether or not a message loop is available for processing events.
LicenseInfoInformation about the current license.
MaskSensitiveDataWhether sensitive data is masked in log messages.
UseFIPSCompliantAPITells the component whether or not to use FIPS certified APIs.
UseInternalSecurityAPIWhether or not to use the system security libraries or an internal implementation.

Algorithm Property (EzRand Component)

The random number algorithm.

Syntax

public EzRandAlgorithms Algorithm { get; set; }

enum EzRandAlgorithms {
  raISAAC,
  raMSCryptoAPI,
  raPlatform,
  raSecurePlatform,
  raRC4Random
}

Public Property Algorithm As EzrandAlgorithms

Enum EzRandAlgorithms
  raISAAC
  raMSCryptoAPI
  raPlatform
  raSecurePlatform
  raRC4Random
End Enum

Default Value

0

Remarks

This property specifies the algorithm used to generate the random number or bytes. Possible values are:

0 (raISAAC) ISAAC (indirection, shift, accumulate, add, and count)
1 (raMSCryptoAPI) The Microsoft Crypto API. This is only available on Windows.
2 (raPlatform) The platform's random implementation.
3 (raSecurePlatform) The platform's secure random implementation. This is only applicable in .NET and Java. In .NET the component uses the "RNGCryptoServiceProvider" class. In Java the component uses the "SecureRandom" class.
4 (raRC4Random) RC4 based random implementation.

Max Property (EzRand Component)

The exclusive upper bound.

Syntax

public int Max { get; set; }

Public Property Max As Integer

Default Value

100

Remarks

This property specifies the exclusive upper bound of the random integer to be generated. The value must be greater than Min. The default value is 100.

Min Property (EzRand Component)

The inclusive lower bound.

Syntax

public int Min { get; set; }

Public Property Min As Integer

Default Value

0

Remarks

This property specifies the inclusive lower bound of the random integer to be generated. The value must be less than Max, and must not be negative. The default value is 0.

RandBytes Property (EzRand Component)

The random byte array.

Syntax

public string RandBytes { get; }
public byte[] RandBytesB { get; }

Public ReadOnly Property RandBytes As String
Public ReadOnly Property RandBytesB As Byte()

Default Value

""

Remarks

This property holds the random byte array generated by calling GetNextBytes.

This property is read-only.

RandBytesLength Property (EzRand Component)

The length of the byte array to be generated.

Syntax

public int RandBytesLength { get; set; }

Public Property RandBytesLength As Integer

Default Value

16

Remarks

This property specifies the length of the random byte array to be generated. The RandBytes property will hold the byte array after GetNextBytes is called. The default value is 16.

RandInt Property (EzRand Component)

The random integer.

Syntax

public int RandInt { get; }

Public ReadOnly Property RandInt As Integer

Default Value

0

Remarks

This property holds the random integer generated by calling GetNextInt.

This property is read-only.

Seed Property (EzRand Component)

The seed.

Syntax

public string Seed { get; set; }
public byte[] SeedB { get; set; }

Public Property Seed As String
Public Property SeedB As Byte()

Default Value

""

Remarks

This property specifies the seed. This value is optional. If not specified and a seed is required the component will use the current time.

Seed Notes

  • When Algorithm is set to 0 (raISAAC) the component uses the leftmost 256 bytes.
  • When Algorithm is set to 1 (raMSCryptoAPI) the seed is ignored.
  • When Algorithm is set to 2 (raPlatform) the component uses the leftmost 4 bytes.
  • When Algorithm is set to 3 (raSecurePlatform) in .NET the seed is ignored. The seed is applicable in Java.

Config Method (EzRand Component)

Sets or retrieves a configuration setting.

Syntax

public string Config(string configurationString);

Async Version
public async Task<string> Config(string configurationString);
public async Task<string> Config(string configurationString, CancellationToken cancellationToken);

Public Function Config(ByVal ConfigurationString As String) As String

Async Version
Public Function Config(ByVal ConfigurationString As String) As Task(Of String)
Public Function Config(ByVal ConfigurationString As String, cancellationToken As CancellationToken) As Task(Of String)

Remarks

Config is a generic method available in every component. It is used to set and retrieve configuration settings for the component.

These settings are similar in functionality to properties, but they are rarely used. In order to avoid "polluting" the property namespace of the component, access to these internal properties is provided through the Config method.

To set a configuration setting named PROPERTY, you must call Config("PROPERTY=VALUE"), where VALUE is the value of the setting expressed as a string. For boolean values, use the strings "True", "False", "0", "1", "Yes", or "No" (case does not matter).

To read (query) the value of a configuration setting, you must call Config("PROPERTY"). The value will be returned as a string.

GetNextBytes Method (EzRand Component)

Generates a sequence of random bytes.

Syntax

public void GetNextBytes();

Async Version
public async Task GetNextBytes();
public async Task GetNextBytes(CancellationToken cancellationToken);

Public Sub GetNextBytes()

Async Version
Public Sub GetNextBytes() As Task
Public Sub GetNextBytes(cancellationToken As CancellationToken) As Task

Remarks

This method generates a new sequence of random bytes. The RandBytesLength property specifies the length of the byte array. After calling this method the RandBytes will hold the random bytes. The following properties are applicable when calling this method:

GetNextInt Method (EzRand Component)

Generates a random integer.

Syntax

public void GetNextInt();

Async Version
public async Task GetNextInt();
public async Task GetNextInt(CancellationToken cancellationToken);

Public Sub GetNextInt()

Async Version
Public Sub GetNextInt() As Task
Public Sub GetNextInt(cancellationToken As CancellationToken) As Task

Remarks

This method generates a random integer. The Min and Max properties define the minimum and maximum values. After calling this method the RandInt property will hold the integer. The following properties are applicable when calling this method:

Reset Method (EzRand Component)

Resets the component.

Syntax

public void Reset();

Async Version
public async Task Reset();
public async Task Reset(CancellationToken cancellationToken);

Public Sub Reset()

Async Version
Public Sub Reset() As Task
Public Sub Reset(cancellationToken As CancellationToken) As Task

Remarks

When called, the component will reset all of its properties to their default values.

Error Event (EzRand Component)

Fired when information is available about errors during data delivery.

Syntax

public event OnErrorHandler OnError;

public delegate void OnErrorHandler(object sender, EzRandErrorEventArgs e);

public class EzRandErrorEventArgs : EventArgs {
  public int ErrorCode { get; }
  public string Description { get; }
}

Public Event OnError As OnErrorHandler

Public Delegate Sub OnErrorHandler(sender As Object, e As EzRandErrorEventArgs)

Public Class EzRandErrorEventArgs Inherits EventArgs
  Public ReadOnly Property ErrorCode As Integer
  Public ReadOnly Property Description As String
End Class

Remarks

The Error event is fired in case of exceptional conditions during message processing. Normally the component throws an exception.

The ErrorCode parameter contains an error code, and the Description parameter contains a textual description of the error. For a list of valid error codes and their descriptions, please refer to the Error Codes section.

Config Settings (EzRand Component)

The component accepts one or more of the following configuration settings. Configuration settings are similar in functionality to properties, but they are rarely used. In order to avoid "polluting" the property namespace of the component, access to these internal properties is provided through the Config method.

EzRand Config Settings

OutputEncoding:   The encoding applied to the generated bytes.

This setting optionally specifies an encoding to apply to the bytes generated when GetNextBytes is called. This may be useful in situations where the bytes are displayed or transmitted as text. Possible values are:

  • 0 (none - default)
  • 1 (Base64)
  • 2 (Hex)
  • 3 (Base64URL)

The RandBytes property will hold the string.

Base Config Settings

BuildInfo:   Information about the product's build.

When queried, this setting will return a string containing information about the product's build.

GUIAvailable:   Whether or not a message loop is available for processing events.

In a GUI-based application, long-running blocking operations may cause the application to stop responding to input until the operation returns. The component will attempt to discover whether or not the application has a message loop and, if one is discovered, it will process events in that message loop during any such blocking operation.

In some non-GUI applications, an invalid message loop may be discovered that will result in errant behavior. In these cases, setting GUIAvailable to false will ensure that the component does not attempt to process external events.

LicenseInfo:   Information about the current license.

When queried, this setting will return a string containing information about the license this instance of a component is using. It will return the following information:

  • Product: The product the license is for.
  • Product Key: The key the license was generated from.
  • License Source: Where the license was found (e.g., RuntimeLicense, License File).
  • License Type: The type of license installed (e.g., Royalty Free, Single Server).
  • Last Valid Build: The last valid build number for which the license will work.
MaskSensitiveData:   Whether sensitive data is masked in log messages.

In certain circumstances it may be beneficial to mask sensitive data, like passwords, in log messages. Set this to true to mask sensitive data. The default is true.

This setting only works on these components: AS3Receiver, AS3Sender, Atom, Client(3DS), FTP, FTPServer, IMAP, OFTPClient, SSHClient, SCP, Server(3DS), Sexec, SFTP, SFTPServer, SSHServer, TCPClient, TCPServer.

UseFIPSCompliantAPI:   Tells the component whether or not to use FIPS certified APIs.

When set to true, the component will utilize the underlying operating system's certified APIs. Java editions, regardless of OS, utilize Bouncy Castle Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS), while all other Windows editions make use of Microsoft security libraries.

FIPS mode can be enabled by setting the UseFIPSCompliantAPI configuration setting to true. This is a static setting that applies to all instances of all components of the toolkit within the process. It is recommended to enable or disable this setting once before the component has been used to establish a connection. Enabling FIPS while an instance of the component is active and connected may result in unexpected behavior.

For more details, please see the FIPS 140-2 Compliance article.

Note: This setting is applicable only on Windows.

Note: Enabling FIPS compliance requires a special license; please contact sales@nsoftware.com for details.

UseInternalSecurityAPI:   Whether or not to use the system security libraries or an internal implementation.

When set to false, the component will use the system security libraries by default to perform cryptographic functions where applicable. In this case, calls to unmanaged code will be made. In certain environments, this is not desirable. To use a completely managed security implementation, set this setting to true.

Setting this configuration setting to true tells the component to use the internal implementation instead of using the system security libraries.

On Windows, this setting is set to false by default. On Linux/macOS, this setting is set to true by default.

If using the .NET Standard Library, this setting will be true on all platforms. The .NET Standard library does not support using the system security libraries.

Note: This setting is static. The value set is applicable to all components used in the application.

When this value is set, the product's system dynamic link library (DLL) is no longer required as a reference, as all unmanaged code is stored in that file.

Trappable Errors (EzRand Component)

EzRand Errors

101   Unsupported algorithm.
105   Invalid Min, Max, or RandomBytesLength value.