On 2/19/07, Alicia da Conceicao <alicia@engine.ca> wrote:
> At one time, I was really keen on Broadcom and other crypto cards.
> However, personal computers have become so cheap and powerful, that
> I am able to get more than >2000 RSA private-key signatures with a
> RSA key having a 1024bit modulus, just on a cheap/basic 2GHz AMD64
> machine running NetBSD-amd64.
>
> The broadcom cards you mentioned are obsolete.

If so, it's not for any of the supposed reasons you mention above.
This is a completely different market; please take a grain of
perspective:

> The only justification these days I have for crypto is for embedded
> devices that need accelerated crypto for VPN, and smart-cards or USB
> crypto-tokens that protect RSA private keys from the host computer.

There are many such embedded/small-CPU devices (not just for VPN, mind
you) that need low power consumption, which is certainly not an
amd64-type-CPU strong suit.  A CPU of the power you mention is a *very
very bad* fit here; typically these machines are 486 or Pentium-II
generation at best.  It's like comparing pears vs. tangerines, or
something like that.

Now, show me a complete amd64-based machine in the ballpark of the
speed you mention, using less than 2A of current @ 5VDC, and we'll
talk.  8-)

-- 
-- Todd Vierling <tv@duh.org> <tv@pobox.com> <todd@vierling.name>