SDB:Modprobe: FATAL: Error inserting hw random

Version: 9.1 - 9.1

Symptom

The following error message is displayed during the boot process:

  scanning pci: ****.modprobe: FATAL: Error inserting hw_random
  (/lib/modules/2.6.4-52-default/kernel/drivers/char/hw_random.ko):
  No such device

Apart from this, everything seems to work properly.

Cause

It is actually a purely cosmetic problem: your CPU pretends to have a hardware random device but this is not true. The error message above is displayed when the attempt to load the corresponding kernel module (hw_random) fails. Even though the word FATAL: in the message makes it seem quite alarming, it only announces that the module could not be loaded.

Solution

If you do not want this message to continue to appear, insert the following line in the file /etc/hotplug/blacklist:

  hw_random

This line prevents the module from being automatically loaded, so the message is no longer displayed. <keyword>hw_random,random,hw_random.ko</keyword>