[tor-dev] Clarification of prop 186

[Jeroen Massar]

On 2012-07-17 06:24, Linus Nordberg wrote:
> Hi,
> 
> Can votes and consensuses have more than one "a" line? Prop 186 says, on
> one hand
> 
>   [...] votes should include a single "a" line for every relay that has
>   an IPv6 address, to include the first IPv6 line in its
>   descriptor. [...] The remaining or-address lines will turn into "a"
>   lines in the microdescriptor.
> 
> I interpret this to mean that there is at most one "a" line in a status
> vote or consensus.

I interpret this as:
 "a single "a" line for every relay that has an IPv6 address"
and:
 "the remaining or-address lines will turn into "a" lines in the ..."

Thus multiple "a" lines, only one single one with IPv6, the rest with IPv4.

I think that one should allow an arbitrary number though, with a limit
of course, eg that a relay is allowed to have max 8 "a" lines, be that
either IPv4 or IPv6 addresses along with their ports.

As such the "single" above should be taken out of the text and/or
rewritten to avoid the confusion that Linus notes here.

> On the other hand it also says
> 
>   Clients that use microdescriptors should consider a node's addresses
>   to be the address:port listed in the "r" line of a consensus, plus all
>   "a" lines for that node in the consensus, [...]

Multiples here too ;)

> and
> 
>   the vote will include whichever set of "a" lines are given by the most
>   authorities who voted for the descriptor digest that will be used for
>   the router.
> 
> (Is "vote" a typo?  Should it read "consensus"?)

Nope, that is a single vote by that authority, the result of all the
votes is the concensus.

> This makes me think there can be more than one "a" line in both votes
> and consensuses.

Yes, and there should be IMHO.

Greets,
 Jeroen