[tor-bugs] #24497 [Webpages/Website]: Improve documentation for tor relay operators

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#24497: Improve documentation for tor relay operators
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 Reporter:  arthuredelstein   |          Owner:  (none)
     Type:  defect            |         Status:  new
 Priority:  Medium            |      Milestone:
Component:  Webpages/Website  |        Version:
 Severity:  Normal            |     Resolution:
 Keywords:  ux-team           |  Actual Points:
Parent ID:                    |         Points:
 Reviewer:                    |        Sponsor:
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Comment (by tom):

 Comments:

  - I think there should be good, explicit instructions for pluggable
 transports. I *think* non-PT bridges are not that useful these days? But
 setting up obfs4 is not as easy as setting up tor. (Again, see #18356)
  - Under relay Requirements, it generally lacks actionable information for
 users. For example: "A relay should be able to handle at least 6k
 concurrent connections (exit relays even more). This can overwhelm some
 consumer-level routers." - is there something a user can do to check this?
 It doesn't say anything about "If you run it from a normal computer or VPS
 you'll be fine" or anything like that. How would a user check their
 upload/download speed?
  - "How well connected is the autonomous system of the hoster?" - I have
 never considered this. I don't even know how I would go about
 investigating it.
  - "Does the hoster allow custom WHOIS records for your IP addresses?
 (This helps reduce the amount of abuse sent to the hoster instead of you)"
 "Does the hoster allow you to set a custom DNS reverse entry? (PTR)" -
 these are probably things you'll need to ask in a Pre-Sales ticket.
  - "It is best to avoid hosters where many Tor relays are already hosted"
 - is it better to run no relays, or relays in already-saturated ASes?
  - 'Please keep in mind that since most relays run on Debian and we want
 to avoid a monoculture, *BSD based relays are greatly needed.' - what
 about everything that isn't Debian/Ubuntu? Like Mac, Windows, Gentoo,
 Fedora, CentOS....
  - "A common question with regards to these settings is: "Is it more
 useful to use available monthly traffic in a short amount of time (fast
 bandwidth) or is it better to have a slow relay running all the time?" In
 most cases the former is preferred and recommended. " - Please rephrase
 this paragraph to be a single statement rather than a lead-in, question,
 and then difficult to parse answer.
  - "Note: You have to explicitly specify the IPv6 address" - how does one
 find their IPv6 address?
  - " There are multiple options for DNS server software, unbound has
 become a popular one." - I'd add a note that the OS' package manager
 should allow you to install a DNS resolver, such as unbound, dnsmasq, or
 foo.
  - It takes some time for the traffic directed to new guard/middle relay
 to ramp up. - exit too, no?
  - I'd suggest adding a section under Part 3 about how hosting providers
 may get annoyed by abuse complaints and demand or shut down relays.
 Suggest users stay on top of abuse complaints and update the GoodBadISPs
 list.
  - Also to not be a dick about your Tor relay. You are a reflection of the
 Tor project, and being a dick reflects very badly on us.
  - https://www.torproject.org/getinvolved/tshirt.html says 3 but lists 2

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Ticket URL: <https://trac.torproject.org/projects/tor/ticket/24497#comment:52>
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