[tor-bugs] #21075 [Core Tor/Tor]: Tor should listen to the old consensus as long as it helps download fresh one

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#21075: Tor should listen to the old consensus as long as it helps download fresh
one
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     Reporter:  anonymous35654  |      Owner:
         Type:  enhancement     |     Status:  new
     Priority:  Medium          |  Milestone:
    Component:  Core Tor/Tor    |    Version:
     Severity:  Major           |   Keywords:  dircache, consensus
Actual Points:                  |  Parent ID:
       Points:                  |   Reviewer:
      Sponsor:                  |
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 Core of the problem is that without any good (fresh, valid or existing)
 consensus tor daemon attempts to fetch fresh one from main dir authorities
 (maatuska\gabelmoo\dizum\etc), that are blocked in my case.
 However when it has a valid and working consensus, it can successfully
 download it from guard nodes\other nodes.
 In cases like this it is usually recommended to get obfs bridge and get on
 with it, it does the job for the most people, however it is not an option
 for me.

 But if this would be implemented, tor potentially will be more resilient
 and resistant to blockings, since (unless tcp packets that are coming from
 tor could be identified?) ISPs would have to cut off connections to all
 public tor nodes to block it. And since measures like these would block
 not only tor, they would have some consequences nobody will like.

 I've already tried to place my usual guard nodes into FallbackDir option,
 but seems that it does something else. In the meantime i did place a
 public proxy into HTTPProxy option, but that is really a "dirty hack".

 If this feature (to allow tor to use old consensus) won't make it into
 mainstream default tor, i wish it would at least exist as an option for
 torrc. I would use it.

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Ticket URL: <https://trac.torproject.org/projects/tor/ticket/21075>
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