same first hops

[Geoff Down]

On 10 Oct 2008, at 03:40, Scott Bennett wrote:

>      On Thu, 9 Oct 2008 19:23:48 +0100 Geoff Down 
> <downie at castlecops.net>
> wrote:
>>
>> Interestingly, I had about 6 single nodes showing on the Vidalia
>> network map yesterday, whilst my traffic was going via a normal 3-node
>> circuit and another 3-node circuit was in preparation.
>> The single nodes disappeared after 20 minutes or so.
>>
>      Were those nodes your entry guards by any chance?  Although tor 
> initially
> tries to build a few (3?) circuits, once they have expired and no 
> longer have
> any active streams in them, they get torn down *except* for the links 
> between
> your client and the entry guard nodes.  This not only improves 
> security, but
> also means that a new circuit already has the first hop connected when 
> tor
> goes to build that new circuit.
>      Of course, that doesn't explain why those links disappeared after 
> about
> 20 minutes, and right offhand, no other explanation comes to mind.
>

They weren't my usual entry nodes, no. It's a mystery.