Setting up IPSec, quick question

[Andrew Falanga <afalanga@linora.com>]

Hello everyone,

    I'm following the instructions on the FAQ for setting up IPSec. 
I've just got a simple question.  When doing the following command:

dd if=/dev/urandom bs=1024 | sha1

As suggested in the FAQ, is it normal for a machine to "go out to lunch" 
for several minutes?  Like, 15 or more?  I've never done this, and, 
since I've not done any programming yet with encryption based 
technology, I must admit to some ignorance as to what's really happening 
in memory at this point.  Is this normal behavior?


Also, where exactly does the output of sha1 go?  I read the man page, 
but all it says is that it's output is condensed message, or hash, of 
it's input suitable for use as a digital signature.  Where does it go?

Andy