[tor-bugs] #1854 [Analysis]: Investigate raising the minimum bandwidth for getting the Fast flag

[Tor Bug Tracker & Wiki]

#1854: Investigate raising the minimum bandwidth for getting the Fast flag
---------------------------------------+------------------------------------
 Reporter:  arma                       |          Owner:  arma    
     Type:  task                       |         Status:  assigned
 Priority:  normal                     |      Milestone:          
Component:  Analysis                   |        Version:          
 Keywords:  performance loadbalancing  |         Parent:          
   Points:                             |   Actualpoints:          
---------------------------------------+------------------------------------
Changes (by arma):

 * cc: karsten, gsathya, asn, robgjansen (added)


Comment:

 Based on Rob's CSET paper, I am now less optimistic that we can answer
 this question with simulations: messing with what relays make up a test
 network is among the least solved pieces of simulating Tor networks.

 So I think we should proceed in two directions:

 A) We should get gsathya or asn or whoever to confirm that dropping relays
 with bandwidth less than X doesn't change any of the diversity metrics
 much (because they're never picked often enough to matter). What's the
 largest X for which you can reasonably say that?

 B) Then we should do an actual performance experiment on the live Tor
 network, using the FastFlagMinThreshold consensus param added in #3946,
 and see what we see on torperf.

 Judging the performance experiment on the live Tor network will be
 especially messy because there are so many variables, but I think despite
 that it may still be the best route.

-- 
Ticket URL: <https://trac.torproject.org/projects/tor/ticket/1854#comment:10>
Tor Bug Tracker & Wiki <https://trac.torproject.org/>
The Tor Project: anonymity online