[tor-bugs] #3338 [Analysis]: Why do our user graphs have these huge spikes?

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#3338: Why do our user graphs have these huge spikes?
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 Reporter:  arma      |          Owner:     
     Type:  task      |         Status:  new
 Priority:  normal    |      Milestone:     
Component:  Analysis  |        Version:     
 Keywords:            |         Parent:     
   Points:            |   Actualpoints:     
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Comment(by arma):

 < arma> karsten: can you remind me in a few sentences how we conclude the
 number of users on our user graphs? i remember we had lots of approaches
 to choose from, but i don't remember which we use now.

 < karsten> arma: Here's how we estimate daily users:  We add up directory
 requests for network status consensuses to all directory mirrors that
 report these numbers to us (which is an increasing number of relays with
 0.2.3.x).
 < karsten> We also estimate how many bytes these directory mirrors, as
 well as all directory mirrors in the network, have spent on answering
 directory requests.
 < karsten> We can then extrapolate the total number of directory requests
 in the network.  We divide this number by 10, assuming that every client
 makes 10 directory requests per day.  That number is our daily user
 estimate.

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Ticket URL: <https://trac.torproject.org/projects/tor/ticket/3338#comment:1>
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