[tor-bugs] #33582 [Core Tor/Tor]: Make bridges wait until they have bootstrapped, before publishing their descriptor

[Tor Bug Tracker & Wiki]

#33582: Make bridges wait until they have bootstrapped, before publishing their
descriptor
-------------------------------------------------+-------------------------
 Reporter:  teor                                 |          Owner:  (none)
     Type:  defect                               |         Status:  new
 Priority:  Medium                               |      Milestone:  Tor:
                                                 |  0.4.4.x-final
Component:  Core Tor/Tor                         |        Version:
 Severity:  Normal                               |     Resolution:
 Keywords:  tor-bridge, tor-relay, prop311,      |  Actual Points:
  outreachy-ipv6, easy                           |
Parent ID:  #33050                               |         Points:  1
 Reviewer:                                       |        Sponsor:
                                                 |  Sponsor55-can
-------------------------------------------------+-------------------------
Description changed by teor:

Old description:

> Instead of this fix, we can make chutney check tor's logs for
> reachability self-test successes. See #34037.
>
> On bridges, there's a race condition when bridges try to publish their
> descriptor to the bridge authority:
> * bridges try to publish their descriptors before bootstrapping
> * but bridges can't publish their descriptors, because they don't have
> enough directory info to build a circuit to the bridge authority
>
> Bridges will eventually try to publish their descriptors again, when they
> become dirty.
>
> We should make bridges wait until they have bootstrapped, before they try
> to publish their descriptors. (This might be a good change for relays as
> well: there isn't much point in publishing a relay that can't bootstrap.)
>
> This issue happens regardless of `AssumeReachable`. It is most obvious in
> chutney networks.
>
> This ticket isn't essential. But the workarounds seem to cause weird race
> conditions, which are time-consuming to diagnose and fix.

New description:

 Instead of this fix, we can make chutney check tor's logs for reachability
 self-test successes (#34037), or implement strict self-tests (#33222).

 On bridges, there's a race condition when bridges try to publish their
 descriptor to the bridge authority:
 * bridges try to publish their descriptors before bootstrapping
 * but bridges can't publish their descriptors, because they don't have
 enough directory info to build a circuit to the bridge authority

 Bridges will eventually try to publish their descriptors again, when they
 become dirty.

 We should make bridges wait until they have bootstrapped, before they try
 to publish their descriptors. (This might be a good change for relays as
 well: there isn't much point in publishing a relay that can't bootstrap.)

 This issue happens regardless of `AssumeReachable`. It is most obvious in
 chutney networks.

 This ticket isn't essential. But the workarounds seem to cause weird race
 conditions, which are time-consuming to diagnose and fix.

--

--
Ticket URL: <https://trac.torproject.org/projects/tor/ticket/33582#comment:9>
Tor Bug Tracker & Wiki <https://trac.torproject.org/>
The Tor Project: anonymity online