diff --git a/lib/bootstrap.py b/lib/bootstrap.py
index 160c1a59af86fbc2d605cf37f99c9667ea905568..118c7b13786d0fde60c75853ec7ef7894a38d81e 100644
--- a/lib/bootstrap.py
+++ b/lib/bootstrap.py
@@ -81,7 +81,7 @@ def _InitGanetiServerSetup(ss):
 
   """
   # Create pseudo random password
-  randpass = sha.new(os.urandom(64)).hexdigest()
+  randpass = utils.GenerateSecret()
   # and write it into sstore
   ss.SetKey(ss.SS_NODED_PASS, randpass)
 
diff --git a/lib/utils.py b/lib/utils.py
index ebe974262854cdbb1a477dc6fbae6e2a008b2624..d73ee36a09cd2b00d4d327de9d2106d6fa166f2b 100644
--- a/lib/utils.py
+++ b/lib/utils.py
@@ -864,6 +864,16 @@ def NewUUID():
     f.close()
 
 
+def GenerateSecret():
+  """Generates a random secret.
+
+  This will generate a pseudo-random secret, and return its sha digest
+  (so that it can be used where an ASCII string is needed).
+
+  """
+  return sha.new(os.urandom(64)).hexdigest()
+
+
 def ReadFile(file_name, size=None):
   """Reads a file.