- tor-relays - lists.torproject.org

Planning a relay
by TT 06 Dec '14

06 Dec '14

I'm thinking of running a relay, and i've a few questions regarding the requirements and the general setup. So far this is just planning. The hardware would be clean and in my possession, but the connection would go through a Swedish-based VPN provider because i'm not interested in running it through my own IP address. The provider endorses Tor and places no limits whatsoever on the services run through their connection, has port forwarding and allows exits, so no issues there. They also have a strict no-logging policy, but words are cheap so you never know. I guess the first question should be whether such a relay would be welcome on the Tor network in the first place? I am aware that connecting to Tor through a VPN isn't generally recommended, but what about running a relay through one? Better idea, or a ridiculously bad one? Second, while it would run on a (nearly) dedicated 100mbit connection, i do not have dedicated equipment. The machine needs to be taken offline between every 2-4 weeks, for some days at a time. Frequent OS updates also often require reboots in addition to this downtime. So much for a stable flag, but more importantly i need to know if this behavior is undesirable for running middle/exit relays? If so, would a bridge be better suitable with the tools i have at hand? Third, regarding running bridges. The Tor Project FAQ states running your own bridge might improve your own anonymity. I assume this means you would manually set up your TBB to connect to *your own* bridge, is this correct? And finally, since the bridge would run on a separate (VPN) IP address, would this make a difference (re:anonymity) for better or worse if you connected through it yourself? I'm likely missing something here because it seems it would basically be the same as simply connecting to Tor through the VPN client alone. Thanks.

7 9

Tor Server - DDOS or High Load
by webmaster 05 Dec '14

05 Dec '14

Hello Folks, I'm running a relay tor server since several years. Last week (24 Nov) I noticed a high load on the tor server (cpu load 100%). After some investigation i found out that tor causes the high load. After killing the process the load decreases to a normal level, but after restarting the tor process again the load increases again. Arm log: Could not open "" for writing: To many open files. or Failing because because we have 1017 connections already. Please raise your ulimit -n Tor's file descriptor usage is at 91%. If you run out Tor will be unable to continue functioning. At first I thought: Fuck, someone intruded into my machine. But after some looking through Arm I found many (>100) INBOUND connections. After one hour and some iptables tuning the cpu load decreases. Could the high load caused by an attack on my machine or is this just some small load peak? Hope for some reply -- -----BEGIN PGP PUBLIC KEY BLOCK----- Version: GnuPG v2.0.17 (MingW32) mQENBFHMmT8BCAC0smvU7Bq1ABxAhvBRn7d4ekkk95aCE4TTQo4wy1z/rGLhQfdt dhiD+Vy61vGrsdK3ei5sW6rBvX2m8+YmBi+8AAgSiZmS0JM3Zz3cmTi5oh0D/yM8 4aDj7wQYfJyzSmYN8InAQ5eA77lwIdqG27kR9wga2szeJwCnWReta0R+7YFkpUW+ zUlf4SWcUx5SmBsaiELQpm+Qcn+fyopo12RX6YVmoNPBvN2nDXDnRhUCKGc+0xhD UrBpCHrApK6sTnMsD34ClCLTL2L1gckQ0AsQqY3PJlx3R8kIJxlmr6R3WnjPMIG0 lqrukB9PcOrHM1MZXK1gK6AtypHBN98lr8Z9ABEBAAG0KndlYm1hc3RlciA8d2Vi bWFzdGVyQGRlZmNvbi1jYy5keW5kbnMub3JnPokBPgQTAQIAKAUCUcyZPwIbIwUJ CWYBgAYLCQgHAwIGFQgCCQoLBBYCAwECHgECF4AACgkQcN1vxvRQl+0SEwf+KXjf YtiSUSVS11uqeQ/8g46NwmNa91P3toZvEd7vhLSbjnL9bi/vApzNnUTGT3VP4/NA dg9SbR4qKlSr8T+YikRMV3tiuiVq8m7g00qM9y8MIomwJTounz8VdO/aJXFSOxAK Bb6ElREADspCzr2qSZCnozWUzbd+b8owbGeRRq3e33Aa5Nlm/xDRxGDWANbaIA8q Gkibvy3vWEwrxiwsakvHGaEZnPEtlNm3M1xcmFAuyl73qzUMkLN0u9E/2igo4EB5 EdMb5Ab5hfWdljxBqJr0tsvMfSK4VkzMCbKYkTqHZIRPQnhiSBE6Yo1Q6RCl/Hht bkvU4RA0J+NkXMZljrkBDQRRzJk/AQgA0HojJnK0uhEkAnbmszYsf477DV+LD02s ZEAlLGhJlf9qYaDiPMPwaZ3nK8/PYKzPpBWfHgRQP97rLHPIVJYl3BHDa/nWeZ2b e/HzYhpX0djbK9qe6W/CTfGbXmC/y+4dDGB8dvtTAW3JILm7xEdwiWtywozEVy7V lnMK4JQvlfOh+3XO6qv71FXyuRkObvkYzqvxUYHewtvvObcVxXHP0C0O6LB44iAW 2boZVVuiHdudnyNAezJajPMUT8SnI0bwL6+0TgnHL4cKNUEPQljIrrvi+9nCkq7V uBtnsYtyoo2reoxmCbX/Z1zZsxdUcKpeJHlc5AypyN8DUJ+APJ9NnwARAQABiQEl BBgBAgAPBQJRzJk/AhsMBQkJZgGAAAoJEHDdb8b0UJftOY0H/1TChmQrJC/qzefW PK7EqFlBg3TIEXdu8JHjF42ZOgzQRfp7E2wWzEx0Y45lNXMs6Yg15hWCEDaUDF6F 5WZKNrP8xIldyR9Aw7fyKqjZ9UuKovqofHsCiaSO7nWzGM6GF3nBDNI9NcFve/wN wggyjAbohOJrJGal3N0HlG3cakqjEmjBe1gQEMC0ZPlWstb/cqqr49TNPrRmQc4P SyGffh8Xqhw94m1LDBXFEaYe7AxjNk1sPAVfO1rOdLF6GOun/UwgbhDQX/Rb9C3t AhjSgyFEiR/gfrUZ7R6SY51qOUf1lN5ZN85C/x27XoZWYlsNaH3Ei6nG+yeswBMk ZRMbezQ= =Med3 -----END PGP PUBLIC KEY BLOCK-----

5 9

high amount of IOERRORs of closed ORconnections
by Toralf Förster 04 Dec '14

04 Dec '14

I still do wonder about the high percentage of IOERRORs of closed ORconnections (as seen in page 1#5 of the arm tool window, press e + q). May I ask here others about their experiences ? The issue is already filed in [1]. [2] contains a python script I used to monitor the issue directly (instead using arm). [1] https://trac.torproject.org/projects/tor/ticket/13603 [2] https://trac.torproject.org/projects/tor/ticket/13603#comment:10 -- Toralf pgp key: 7B1A 07F4 EC82 0F90 D4C2 8936 872A E508 0076 E94E

1 0

Colocated relay pricing
by grarpamp 04 Dec '14

04 Dec '14

What are you seeing as prices to colocate, in terms of: 1RU - rent, power, etc IP's - a few (3, or up to a /29 ie 8-3=5) Bandwidth - In terms of $US/Mbit Colocation Country/State. Company.

3 2

Why isn't there an announcement of the new Tails?
by I 03 Dec '14

03 Dec '14

1 0

doc/HARDENING Draft
by Libertas 01 Dec '14

01 Dec '14

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA256 I thought I'd share an initial draft of doc/HARDENING. Please share any opinions or contributions you have. This was written in a little more than an hour, so it's still a work in progress. However, in the spirit of prototyping before polishing, I thought I'd share early. Here's the relevant ticket: https://trac.torproject.org/projects/tor/ticket/13703 A specific topic of conversation is how much of the advice should be in the document itself as opposed to linked sources. It could also use more OS diversity. After reading it, you can probably guess which *nix flavors I'm familiar with. Enjoy, Libertas -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: GnuPG v1 iQIcBAEBCAAGBQJUc7qtAAoJELxHvGCsI27NOwsP/1bP+g4W2y1NHefR5bd+5hwo V927TXzarNneNFxfhKJsVewVnU593Ex13iHv+WgA+XM39xiK8KkhpxOaw2IpahZp pIRCk4/XX78YaEc/K3ci2AsNGFVXPBX7nm4/VOZ5qiGfo+FVeipykweF1dF+X1Wc 1wr8Q9LWKoIab+klu/BG5nG5NtwICYslbgXMvNnapHuy0Xn1+fvBx3mW9teMkJ0N Npssiy7XUqJx1XpdYNJr4XI28aHOV2p4FeCdsAgaQ1OBkOvpzMd+fw2Yb3FOiX/l 5pNCPMXFsS/+OXp1qOFKDQoOb7fEP6mY4NqdSovuJU0oWdurnHVk/X3SidALfH/L vFPdTwpCJSMLuYO7HsLLiLx6LkDtrDZ2y9+tUfpqKGAN0upXrIi5GWsbUeLcCqwY UFYdSg1GHsWJz7fU6F1vDLpGsiXU5yVqgaxfP06+nZ/smRt5sA3nlMDCZJi3BDes k0+c4+tAPZ5Yt6kJ5b1GBgxQMokDqnLm/4pb/qlp0EzDfhWpA+Un2lGdvInrz1ds VsVvbq/LLuxYylC3hlF8pNxBVMdbXycWM1w/VHtDjPZFdo9AO4CJHXeShYQa2O0W cBXdU+O59wWoxiCuEfo0O2xaJw2UIRfxauQbcp/A0rg8FKU1c2QeP2t7y8VdVC1Y SgQNVCUKYPBMCywJw9PA =yY3r -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----

9 14

Fast Exit Node Operators - ISP in US
by SiNA Rabbani 29 Nov '14

29 Nov '14

Dear Relay Operators, I noticed there are very few US based exit nodes in the network. And more and more people are jumping on the same set of AS numbers in Europe. I am not if the reason is lack of Tor friendly ISPs or people are just too freaked out about the summer of Snowden. I think it's very wrong to assume that EU countries are not part of the world-wide-wiretap, packets are going through a few internet exchanges anyways. I have been hosting/operating Faravahar (one of the authority directory servers) at Rethem Hosting (rethemhosting.net) for a couple of years now, and never had any issues. I also just brought up 2 exit nodes there: https://atlas.torproject.org/#details/A5B1C342B316C2AE5695B903CED18F619A836… https://atlas.torproject.org/#details/6FFCDF910C32D620FCC6EEF7A8A57F3E9A234… If anyone is interested in running fast Tor Exit nodes at Rethem Hosting. Feel free to contact me directly, so I can make proper referral/introductions. Rethem Hosting is also able to provide hosting In IceLand, but you get the most bang for your buck in the US datacenter. Thank you for contributing to Tor. All the best, SiNA # Consensus Weights Advertised Bandwidth Guard Probability Middle Probability Exit Probability Nickname Fingerprint Exit Guard Country Autonomous System 1.5958% 0.0000% 0.0000% 0.0000% 4.8946% (11 other relay groups) 17.6751% 0.0000% 0.0000% 0.0000% 54.2124% (total in selection) 1 4.1722% 0.0000% 0.0000% 0.0000% 12.7968% * (26 relays) (26) (22) FR (4) 2 3.8256% 0.0000% 0.0000% 0.0000% 11.7338% * (19 relays) (19) (16) DE (6) 3 2.1098% 0.0000% 0.0000% 0.0000% 6.4712% * (10 relays) (10) (8) NL (6) 4 1.4620% 0.0000% 0.0000% 0.0000% 4.4843% * (5 relays) (5) (5) RO (1) 5 0.9090% 0.0000% 0.0000% 0.0000% 2.7881% * (6 relays) (6) (5) SE (4) 6 0.8788% 0.0000% 0.0000% 0.0000% 2.6955% * (4 relays) (4) (4) CH (2) 7 0.8560% 0.0000% 0.0000% 0.0000% 2.6255% * (3 relays) (3) (3) LU (1) 8 0.6510% 0.0000% 0.0000% 0.0000% 1.9967% * (1 relays) (1) (1) LR (1) 9 0.6433% 0.0000% 0.0000% 0.0000% 1.9731% * (10 relays) (10) (8) US (10) 10 0.5715% 0.0000% 0.0000% 0.0000% 1.7528% * (2 relays) (2) (2) GB (1)

17 40

Re: [tor-relays] Fast Exit Node Operators - ISP in US
by teor 23 Nov '14

23 Nov '14

> Date: Sat, 22 Nov 2014 17:58:37 -0800 > From: Seth <list(a)sysfu.com> > ... > > I should have also mentioned in my previous post I put the following in > /etc/tor/torrc > > # Bandwidth and data caps > AccountingStart day 19:45 # calculate once a day at 7:45pm > AccountingMax 33 GBytes # 33GB X 30 days = 10GB shy of 1000GB/mo. > RelayBandwidthRate 3000 KBytes > RelayBandwidthBurst 3750 KBytes # allow higher bursts but maintain average There are 7/12 months that have 31 days, where your 33GB per day will result in a (potential) 23GB overuse. (And that's not including non-tor traffic like OS updates.) Why not use 32GB x 31 days = 992GB, or 31GB x 31 days = 961GB ? teor pgp 0xABFED1AC hkp://pgp.mit.edu/ https://gist.github.com/teor2345/d033b8ce0a99adbc89c5 http://0bin.net/paste/Mu92kPyphK0bqmbA#Zvt3gzMrSCAwDN6GKsUk7Q8G-eG+Y+BLpe7w…

3 2

(no subject)
by Chris Boyd 23 Nov '14

23 Nov '14

http://estudiohalabi.cl/problem.php?4z0oxj4vkg5 wodencafe wodencafe(a)gmail.com +++++++++++++ Penalty for premature evacuation. -- Reality Bites

2 1

wild swings in Advertised Bandwidth
by jchase 23 Nov '14

23 Nov '14

Hi, I'm running a low-volume bridge on a raspberry pi. Globe.torproject says that my fingerprint is 1BCD3EBEFE17EEB86EEDE21D5E2DB8468E2864CF . I'm keeping an eye on myself and traffic via globe.torproject and my advertised bandwidth makes wild swings: one day its 56 kB/s and the next day it's 8 kB/s. When I read that "The minimum BandwidthRate setting is 20 kilobytes per second", I am confronted with the fact that 8 is less than 20 and it doesn't seem worth it keeping my bridge up and working. Why would a bridge make such swings in advertised bandwidth? And is there any good reason to keep the bridge up and working if it sinks to 8 kB/s? Thanks, J Chase

2 1