[tor-relays] bandwidth authority algorithm is cracked

[starlight.2014q1 at binnacle.cx]

>Also keep in mind that what the bandwidth
>authorities actually measure is not total capacity
>but spare stream capacity (by downloading large
>files through at least 5 different two hop
>circuits times for each relay).

Wait...  So if I understand this correctly
the bandwidth number is the difference between
the actual bandwidth of the node and the
actively utilized bandwidth?

I looked high-and-low for a proper definition
of the value, short of spending a day reading
the source code, and did not find this.  The
way that the bandwidth status pages are
ranked leads one to believe that the consensus
bandwidth is effectively the size of the
relays when in fact the ranking shows
them in the order of unused bandwidth.

If my understanding is now correct, then
at least for the smaller node I administer,
the numbers I see are perfectly sensible.

Provided that the node is functioning,
a lower number is a better number because
that means the node is seeing significant
use.

However I must complain that the consensus
bandwidth does not say much about the 
relative health of a relay.  Does a good
(ungamable) way exist to show the bandwidth
capacity of relays along with the available
capacity?

Some information on the proper interpretation
of bandwidth values ought to be placed
somewhere prominent on the TorProject wiki.
One paragraph would have preempted my
posting this thread.