[rjek]

Possibly. If your SSH and HTTP daemons and encrypted file systems use /dev/random, and you're running Linux, then possibly. Look in /proc/sys/kernel/random/entropy_avail, and possibly graph this over time. Also, some modern Linux distributions use data from the random pool at exec() (to randomise linkage), and so it's possible you could be running low already. TLS email also consumes huge amounts, and anybody running virtual servers might be having a problem.

[weaksauce]

Is there anyway to speed this up without hardware? My server has a laughably low amount of entropy available and I think it is why a lot of the connections are slow.

If not what is a cheapish way to get hardware entropy?

[dsilverstone]

If you have a sound chip on your server which is capable of disconnecting itself from the microphone socket on the back then you might be able to use low-order bits from that and a tool such as the audio entropy daemon or 'randomsound' (the latter is packaged in Debian) however I'd not recommend that as anything other than a stopgap until you can get something more effective.

Simtec expect to release their Entropy Key for around GBP42 delivered in the UK. (worldwide postage costs will obviously inflate that a bit).

[weaksauce]

Wow, that is a pretty reasonable price. When do they expect to ship?

[rjek]

If I have anything to do with it, in the next month or so :)