[tor-relays] pluggable transport proxy

[Scott Bennett]

     A recent posting--sorry, but I deleted it before realizing that I had
something to say as a followup--referred to proposal #180 (see

https://gitweb.torproject.org/torspec.git/blob/HEAD:/proposals/180-pluggable-transport.txt

for the text), and after reading the section titled "Notes on plugins to
write", it seemed to me that the first note might be satisfied by tcpproxy
with little or no modification.  The developers might wish to look at its
description at

http://www.spreadspace.org/tcpproxy/

It handles IPv4, IPv6, and cross-protocol tunneling, as well as optionally
doing remote DNS resolution.
     FWIW, I like the mentions of possibly allowing the use of such proxies
with ordinary relays, too.  This might provide an opening to allow unpublished,
extra ORPorts of ordinary relays to be distributed and used in a manner similar
to bridges.  Allowing pluggable proxies for ordinary relays ought also to
facilitate development and testing of UDP- and SCTP-based transports for
tor in a way that would avoid disrupting existing tor network operation.


                                  Scott Bennett, Comm. ASMELG, CFIAG
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