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How entropy is acquired is up to the implementer of any protocol. The literature on measurement of entropy and on methods of harvesting entropy in computer systems is extensive and well known to anyone skilled in the cryptographic art. Probably the best entropy source is a properly verified hardware random bit generator that has circuitry attached to monitor all bits produced and verify their entropy, raising an error condition if the hardware starts to malfunction. Such a hardware source of entropy can be used to drive a conditioning function (sometimes called a "whitening" function) and might be used to drive a pseudo-random number generator (PRNG) that is compliant with recognized standards, such as FIPS 140-2 Annex C [FIPS140].