[network-health] Upgrade your 'Traumflug' Tor relay?

[Markus Hitter]

Am 14.10.19 um 12:26 schrieb Roger Dingledine:
> I also looked a bit at the init script:
> https://github.com/openwrt/packages/blob/master/net/tor/files/tor.init
> and it doesn't do things like raising the max number of file descriptors
> ("ulimit -n") so it will have problems being a proper relay.

Well, right now it uses a total of 14 open file descriptors, which doesn't exactly make the default of 1024 look like a throughput limiting barrier. Everything is a bit smaller on routers :-)

> In sum, I would say to be wary of running a relay with the current (or
> upcoming) openwrt package, because it is missing many of the things that
> a proper Tor package should have. Maybe that means we should encourage
> you to fix up the openwrt package? Or maybe that means we should warn
> people away from it? :)

Warning people away is obviously not a good recipe for growth, so I'd prefer to get Tor better aligned with small servers. Like refining it to get away with fewer file descriptors if necessary. Also refining it to get away with 128 MB RAM without complaining. Current usage is 19% of 128 MB, > 50% system memory unused, it apparently works fine with this few memory.

Running Tor on routers is obviously a great opportunity, because the hardware exists already, devices run anyways, and there are millions of them. One doesn't have to advertise "buy a $2000 server, rent a $50/month ISP line, pay the electricity bill", one can advertise just "help by installing this package". Likely routers can serve only a few connections simultaneously, still 10 connections multiplied by a million "servers" isn't too shabby, IMHO.


Markus

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Dipl. Ing. (FH) Markus Hitter
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