commit 8b92d9d4d18fcaf4f0c6d595bddea9880f8c4f19 Author: Karsten Loesing karsten.loesing@gmx.net Date: Wed Dec 14 19:52:10 2016 +0100
Update contents on About page. --- website/web/WEB-INF/about.jsp | 268 +++--------------------------------------- 1 file changed, 15 insertions(+), 253 deletions(-)
diff --git a/website/web/WEB-INF/about.jsp b/website/web/WEB-INF/about.jsp index c169969..f16a114 100644 --- a/website/web/WEB-INF/about.jsp +++ b/website/web/WEB-INF/about.jsp @@ -29,266 +29,28 @@ of data, rather than just dogma or perspective." <br> <!-- Navigation end -->
-<h3>Frequently used terms</h3> -<br> +<h1>About</h1>
-<a name="advertised-bandwidth"></a> -<p><b><a href="#advertised-bandwidth">advertised bandwidth:</a></b> the -volume of traffic, both incoming and outgoing, that a -<a href="#relay">relay</a> is willing to sustain, as configured by the -operator and claimed to be observed from recent data transfers.</p> +<p>Tor metrics are updated daily to provide transparency for Tor users, give +feedback for developers, and measure evidence of network anomalies.</p>
-<a name="bandwidth-history"></a> -<p><b><a href="#bandwidth-history">bandwidth history:</a></b> the volume -of incoming and/or outgoing traffic that a <a href="#relay">relay</a> -claims to have handled on behalf of <a href="#client">clients</a>.</p> +<h2>Philosophy</h2>
-<a name="bridge"></a> -<p><b><a href="#bridge">bridge:</a></b> a <a href="#relay">relay</a> whose -existence is non-public and which can therefore provide access for blocked -<a href="#client">clients</a>, often in combination with -<a href="#pluggable-transport">pluggable transports</a>, which registers -itself with the <a href="#bridge-authority">bridge authority</a>.</p> +<p>We only use public, non-sensitive data for metrics. Each metric goes through +a rigorous review and discussion process before appearing here. We never publish +statistics—or aggregate statistics—of sensitive data, such as +unencrypted contents of traffic.</p>
-<a name="bridge-authority"></a> -<p><b><a href="#bridge-authority">bridge authority:</a></b> a -special-purpose <a href="#relay">relay</a> that maintains a list of -bridges as input for external bridge distribution mechanisms (for example, -<a href="https://bridges.torproject.org/">BridgeDB</a>).</p> +<h2>Contributing</h2>
-<a name="circuit"></a> -<p><b><a href="#circuit">circuit:</a></b> a path through the Tor network -built by <a href="#client">clients</a> consisting of at most one -<a href="#bridge">bridge</a> and at least one -<a href="#relay">relay</a>.</p> +<p>Collecting and processing new data won't likely happen without your help! If +you really want to see something measured here, we would be happy to work with +you. (Link to Trac wiki page)</p>
-<a name="client"></a> -<p><b><a href="#client">client:</a></b> a node in the Tor network, -typically running on behalf of one user, that routes application -connections over a series of <a href="#relay">relays</a>.</p> +<h2>Contact</h2>
-<a name="consensus"></a> -<p><b><a href="#consensus">consensus:</a></b> a single document compiled -and voted on by the <a href="#directory-authority">directory -authorities</a> once per hour, ensuring that all -<a href="#client">clients</a> have the same information about the -<a href="#relay">relays</a> that make up the Tor network.</p> - -<a name="consensus-weight"></a> -<p><b><a href="#consensus-weight">consensus weight:</a></b> a value -assigned to a <a href="#relay">relay</a> that is based on bandwidth -observed by the relay and bandwidth measured by the -<a href="#directory-authority">directory authorities</a>, included in the -hourly published <a href="#consensus">consensus</a>, and used by -<a href="#client">clients</a> to select relays for their -<a href="#circuit">circuits</a>.</p> - -<a name="directory-authority"></a> -<p><b><a href="#directory-authority">directory authority:</a></b> a -special-purpose <a href="#relay">relay</a> that maintains a list of -currently-running relays and periodically publishes a -<a href="#consensus">consensus</a> together with the other directory -authorities.</p> - -<a name="directory-mirror"></a> -<p><b><a href="#directory-mirror">directory mirror:</a></b> a -<a href="#relay">relay</a> that provides a recent copy of directory -information to clients, in order to reduce the load on -<a href="#directory-authority">directory authorities</a>.</p> - -<a name="hidden-service"></a> -<p><b><a href="#hidden-service">hidden service:</a></b> a location-hidden -service (for example, a website or instant-messaging server) that is only -accessible via the Tor network.</p> - -<a name="pluggable-transport"></a> -<p><b><a href="#pluggable-transport">pluggable transport:</a></b> an -alternative transport protocol provided by <a href="#bridge">bridges</a> -and used by <a href="#client">clients</a> to circumvent transport-level -blockings (for example, by ISPs or governments).</p> - -<a name="relay"></a> -<p><b><a href="#relay">relay:</a></b> a publicly-listed node in the Tor -network that forwards traffic on behalf of <a href="#client">clients</a>, -and that registers itself with the -<a href="#directory-authority">directory authorities</a>.</p> - -<a name="relay-flag"></a> -<p><b><a href="#relay-flag">relay flag:</a></b> a special -(dis-)qualification of <a href="#relay">relays</a> for circuit positions -(for example, "Guard", "Exit", "BadExit"), circuit properties (for -example, "Fast", "Stable"), or roles (for example, "Authority", "HSDir"), -as assigned by the <a href="#directory-authority">directory -authorities</a> and further defined in the -<a href="https://gitweb.torproject.org/torspec.git/tree/dir-spec.txt">directory -protocol specification</a>.</p> - -<h3>Frequently asked questions</h3> -<br> - -<div style="line-height: 18pt;"> -<p> -<b>Q: How do you obtain all these facts in an anonymity network without -hurting user privacy?</b><br> -A: The metrics on this website are based on different data sources in the -Tor network. -Some of these data sources are not sensitive at all, like properties and -capabilities of a relay. -Others are more sensitive, like statistics on fetched directory listings -by country. -But others are simply too sensitive to gather at all, like contents of -unencrypted connections leaving the Tor network, so we don't have metrics -on those.<br> -We wrote a -<a href="http://freehaven.net/anonbib/#wecsr10measuring-tor">research -paper</a> where we describe how we measure potentially sensitive data in -the Tor network. -Whenever we plan to add new data, this plan needs to go through a rigorous -process of writing a -<a href="https://gitweb.torproject.org/torspec.git/tree/proposals/001-process.txt">proposal -document</a>, which is usually discussed on the -<a href="https://lists.torproject.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/tor-dev">public -development list</a>, and publicly reviewing code patches on the -<a href="https://trac.torproject.org/projects/tor">bug tracker</a>. -Furthermore, as a core principle, we only use data for metrics that have -been made publicly available: -if the raw data are too sensitive to publish, then we shouldn't even -publish aggregate statistics of it. -See the <a href="https://collector.torproject.org/">CollecTor service</a> -that we use as single data source for all graphs and tables on this -website. -</p> -<p> -<b>Q: How do you know <a href="network.html">how many servers there are in -the network</a>, how many of them permit exiting, etc.?<br></b> -A: The servers in the Tor network, called relays and bridges, send a -document with properties and capabilities to a set of central directory -servers. -These directory servers perform some reachability tests and publish a list -of running servers. -All we have to do is throw these documents into a database and run -aggregation functions on it. -</p> -<p> -<b>Q: How do you know <a href="bandwidth.html">how much bandwidth is -advertised and consumed</a> in the network?</b> -<br> -A: Relays and bridges report bandwidth numbers to the central directory -servers, both how much bandwidth they advertise and how much is used up by -clients. -</p> -<p> -<b>Q: How do you measure <a href="bubbles.html">diversity of relays</a> in -the network?</b> -<br> -A: We resolve relay IP addresses to country codes and autonomous system -numbers using <a href="https://www.maxmind.com/en/opensource">MaxMind's -open source databases</a>. -That gives us a rough idea whether there are certain countries or Internet -providers running larger parts of the Tor network than others. -</p> -<p> -<b>Q: How do you know <a href="users.html">how many users</a> there are in -the network?</b> -<br> -A: We don't actually count users but directory traffic induced by Tor -clients. -Clients periodically need to update their view on the network, and by -counting those requests we can make some rough estimates how many users -there are. -If you want to learn more, there's a more detailed document available -dubbed -<a href="https://gitweb.torproject.org/metrics-web.git/tree/doc/users-q-and-a.txt">Questions -and answers about user statistics</a>. -We also wrote a technical report titled -<a href="https://research.torproject.org/techreports/counting-daily-bridge-users-2012-10-24.pdf">Counting -daily bridge users</a> which is very related. -</p> -<p> -<b>Q: How do you <a href="performance.html">measure performance</a> in the -network?</b> -<br> -A: We run our own measurements using a tool called -<a href="https://gitweb.torproject.org/torperf.git">Torperf</a>. -This tool fetches files of three different sizes over the Tor network and -measures how long that takes. -</p> -<p> -<b>Q: How often are graphs updated?</b> -<br> -A: The graphs and tables on this website are updated multiple times per -day. -However, some graphs have the last few days cut off, because we don't have -enough data available yet. -It simply takes time to report, collect, and process all the data. -</p> -<p> -<b>Q: Are the raw numbers behind graphs available for download?</b> -<br> -A: Yes, all raw numbers are available in <a href="stats/">comma-separated -value files (.csv)</a>, which are further explained on the "Data:" pages, -e.g., <a href="https://metrics.torproject.org/servers-data.html">"Data: -Number of relays and bridges"</a>. -In addition to that, the raw data behind those .csv files are available -via the <a href="https://collector.torproject.org/">CollecTor service</a>. -If you do something cool with either the .csv files or the raw data, -please drop us a note, so that we may add a link here. -</p> -<p> -<b>Q: How can I request a new graph or table?</b> -<br> -A: Please open a ticket in the -<a href="https://trac.torproject.org/projects/tor">bug tracker</a> using -component "Metrics Website". -But please understand that adding a new graph or table may be harder than -it seems. -The following categories of feature requests may help you assess how -likely it is that we implement your suggestion and how long it may take. -Of course, you can always influence both likelihood and time to get your -graph or table added by helping out! -<ol> -<li>Adding a link to a related project that does something cool with Tor -network data is easiest. -These links can be pretty useful, because somebody might pick up the idea -and write a patch to include a fully customizable graph or table for this -website. -Adding a link is usually done within a day or two.</li> -<li>Improving an existing graph or table is slightly more work. -For example, you might suggest to add a new parameter or put another line -on a graph. -If the data for that is already available, this can be done within a -couple of days, assuming somebody is free to do it.</li> -<li>Adding a new graph or table based on existing, already processed data -requires writing some graphing code in R and some HTML around it. -This may take a few weeks.</li> -<li>Adding a new graph or table based on raw data that needs processing -takes quite some more work. -This may require us to do some heavy database lifting, because we need to -be sure that the processing code scales in the next few years. -So, expect this to take a couple of months.</li> -<li>Finally, adding a new metric based on newly gathered raw data, that -is, new fields in descriptors or even new descriptors types, is most -time-consuming. -And to be honest, it is least likely to happen without your help. -In addition to the significant development work, we may have to wait one -or even two Tor release cycles to get the new code running on relays -and/or bridges. -Everything under one year is optimistic for this type of enhancement -request.</li> -</ol> -</p> -<p> -<b>Q: Are there open feature requests or other issues related to this -website, and where do I start writing code for it?</b> -<br> -A: The bug tracker has a list of -<a href="https://trac.torproject.org/projects/tor/query?status=!closed&component=Metrics+Website&order=priority">open -tickets in the Metrics Website component</a>. -The sources are -<a href="https://gitweb.torproject.org/metrics-web.git/">available via -Git</a>. -</p> -</div> +<p>If you have any questions, contact us at <a +href="mailto:metrics-team@lists.torproject.org">metrics-team@lists.torproject.org</a>.</p>
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