[tor-relays] Considering setting up an exit, need advice

[Scott Bennett]

Jesse Victors <jvictors at jessevictors.com> wrote:

> I'm thinking about setting up an exit here at my university here in the
> US. My ISP has no problem with Tor relays on the fast connections, but I
> haven't inquired about exits. I'd be running the exit on a surplus
> computer that I have control over in a lab in one of the main buildings.
> How do I ask my ISP about it? I'll be doing some research as to what

     Get out your campus phone book and look up their number.  For all
practical purposes, a university is its own ISP.  Call your campus networking
staff.  They are good people to be acquainted with anyway for many practical
reasons.

> ports I can open to contribute yet avoid being flooded by complaints,
> but if anyone has any tips I'd appreciate it. Would it be a good idea to
> copy the exit policy of the node at MIT? Is there a way to configure the
> Linux firewall so that only Tor has Internet access, in order to help
> show that I wasn't behind anything that comes out of the exit? I'm

     Probably not.  For one thing, you would then be restricted to using
sneakernet to install new versions of tor.

> basically just looking to get started here if this is feasible, and
> looking for advice.

     You have two approaches from which to choose.  One is to call them up,
explain what you'd like to do, and ask their advice on how to do it without
breaking any university rules.  Networking staffs at university are not
ordinarily concerned with content, but might be interested in how much traffic
(i.e., network capacity) you hope to tie up with your relay.
     The other approach is based on the widely held belief that it is often
better to ask for forgiveness than permission. :-)


                                  Scott Bennett, Comm. ASMELG, CFIAG
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