[tor-bugs] #24456 [Core Tor/Tor]: Figure out what to do with the guardfraction feature

[Tor Bug Tracker & Wiki]

#24456: Figure out what to do with the guardfraction feature
-------------------------------------------------+-------------------------
 Reporter:  asn                                  |          Owner:  (none)
     Type:  defect                               |         Status:
                                                 |  needs_review
 Priority:  Medium                               |      Milestone:  Tor:
                                                 |  0.3.3.x-final
Component:  Core Tor/Tor                         |        Version:
 Severity:  Normal                               |     Resolution:
 Keywords:  tor-dirauth, tor-guard, review-      |  Actual Points:
  group-32                                       |
Parent ID:                                       |         Points:  2
 Reviewer:  mikeperry                            |        Sponsor:
-------------------------------------------------+-------------------------

Comment (by teor):

 Replying to [comment:15 arma]:
 > Replying to [comment:14 mikeperry]:
 > > We need the guardfraction feature (or something like it) less since we
 have backed off from infinite guard lifetimes, but I don't think the need
 is now zero.
 >
 > I think this is right.

 We will never have perfectly accurate bandwidth allocations. So I think we
 need to decide how much inaccuracy we are willing to tolerate in the
 bandwidth system. (Currently, we tolerate 30-50% variance between
 bandwidth authorities. But we don't have any good way of working out the
 difference between the median measured bandwidth, and the actual bandwidth
 of a relay.)

 Once we know our tolerance, it will help us prioritise fixing
 guardfraction.

 It will also help us evaluate bandwidth authority configurations and
 implementations.

 > But when considering the guardfraction feature, we should think not just
 about the code on the Tor side, but also about what feels to the dir auths
 like yet another pile of abandonware crap that they're going to be asked
 to run and maintain forever.
 >
 > So, if we're thinking about the feature's future, let's not underweight
 the importance of the external portion of the tool too.

 +1

--
Ticket URL: <https://trac.torproject.org/projects/tor/ticket/24456#comment:16>
Tor Bug Tracker & Wiki <https://trac.torproject.org/>
The Tor Project: anonymity online