diff --git a/mysql/util.go b/mysql/util.go
index 1a86a6bc6..e8d436fa2 100644
--- a/mysql/util.go
+++ b/mysql/util.go
@@ -107,14 +107,14 @@ func AppendLengthEncodedInteger(b []byte, n uint64) []byte {
 		byte(n>>32), byte(n>>40), byte(n>>48), byte(n>>56))
 }
 
-func RandomBuf(size int) ([]byte, error) {
+func RandomBuf(size int) []byte {
 	buf := make([]byte, size)
 	mrand.Seed(time.Now().UTC().UnixNano())
 	min, max := 30, 127
 	for i := 0; i < size; i++ {
 		buf[i] = byte(min + mrand.Intn(max-min))
 	}
-	return buf, nil
+	return buf
 }
 
 // FixedLengthInt: little endian
diff --git a/server/conn.go b/server/conn.go
index c42f1c328..92aa8fa8d 100644
--- a/server/conn.go
+++ b/server/conn.go
@@ -5,9 +5,10 @@ import (
 	"net"
 	"sync/atomic"
 
+	"github.com/siddontang/go/sync2"
+
 	. "github.com/go-mysql-org/go-mysql/mysql"
 	"github.com/go-mysql-org/go-mysql/packet"
-	"github.com/siddontang/go/sync2"
 )
 
 /*
@@ -45,7 +46,6 @@ var baseConnID uint32 = 10000
 func NewConn(conn net.Conn, user string, password string, h Handler) (*Conn, error) {
 	p := NewInMemoryProvider()
 	p.AddUser(user, password)
-	salt, _ := RandomBuf(20)
 
 	var packetConn *packet.Conn
 	if defaultServer.tlsConfig != nil {
@@ -61,7 +61,7 @@ func NewConn(conn net.Conn, user string, password string, h Handler) (*Conn, err
 		h:                  h,
 		connectionID:       atomic.AddUint32(&baseConnID, 1),
 		stmts:              make(map[uint32]*Stmt),
-		salt:               salt,
+		salt:               RandomBuf(20),
 	}
 	c.closed.Set(false)
 
@@ -82,7 +82,6 @@ func NewCustomizedConn(conn net.Conn, serverConf *Server, p CredentialProvider,
 		packetConn = packet.NewConn(conn)
 	}
 
-	salt, _ := RandomBuf(20)
 	c := &Conn{
 		Conn:               packetConn,
 		serverConf:         serverConf,
@@ -90,7 +89,7 @@ func NewCustomizedConn(conn net.Conn, serverConf *Server, p CredentialProvider,
 		h:                  h,
 		connectionID:       atomic.AddUint32(&baseConnID, 1),
 		stmts:              make(map[uint32]*Stmt),
-		salt:               salt,
+		salt:               RandomBuf(20),
 	}
 	c.closed.Set(false)
 
diff --git a/server/resp.go b/server/resp.go
index 35b742e9c..abe04c774 100644
--- a/server/resp.go
+++ b/server/resp.go
@@ -68,12 +68,8 @@ func (c *Conn) writeAuthSwitchRequest(newAuthPluginName string) error {
 	data = append(data, EOF_HEADER)
 	data = append(data, []byte(newAuthPluginName)...)
 	data = append(data, 0x00)
-	rnd, err := RandomBuf(20)
-	if err != nil {
-		return err
-	}
 	// new auth data
-	c.salt = rnd
+	c.salt = RandomBuf(20)
 	data = append(data, c.salt...)
 	// the online doc states it's a string.EOF, however, the actual MySQL server add a \NUL to the end, without it, the
 	// official MySQL client will fail.