Re: [HACKERS] Patch for UUID datatype (beta)

On Tue, Sep 19, 2006 at 08:20:13AM -0500, Jim C. Nasby wrote:
> On Mon, Sep 18, 2006 at 07:45:07PM -0400, mark(at)mark(dot)mielke(dot)cc wrote:
> > I would not use a 100% random number generator for a UUID value as was
> > suggested. I prefer inserting the MAC address and the time, to at
> > least allow me to control if a collision is possible. This is not easy
> > to do using a few lines of C code. I'd rather have a UUID type in core
> > with no generation routine, than no UUID type in core because the code
> > is too complicated to maintain, or not portable enough.
> As others have mentioned, using MAC address doesn't remove the
> possibility of a collision.

It does, as I control the MAC address. I can choose not to overwrite it.
I can choose to ensure that any cases where it is overwritten, it is
overwritten with a unique value. Random number does not provide this
level of control.

> Maybe a good compromise that would allow a generator function to go into
> the backend would be to combine the current time with a random number.
> That will ensure that you won't get a dupe, so long as your clock never
> runs backwards.

Which standard UUID generation function would you be thinking of?
Inventing a new one doesn't seem sensible. I'll have to read over the
versions again...

Cheers,
mark

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