[tor-dev] Guards selection - current algorithm simulation

[George Kadianakis]

Iván Pazmiño <ipazmino at thoughtworks.com> writes:

> Hello, thanks for your reply.
>
> On 02/04/2016 04:28 PM, George Kadianakis wrote:
>> We don't actually and it's a pity because it would have been very useful for
>> this particular case indeed.
> We will write one then.
>

Exciting!

>> 
>> However, the entry guard code in Tor is not particularly clean or well
>> abstracted. So finding the underlying algorithm will not be a trivial task.
>> That's also another reason we are trying to move to a more formalized
>> algorithm, so that it's more easily studied.
> We've started looking at the code and so far we believe the relevant
> scenarios would be those when you invoke choose_random_entry_impl with a
> NULL state. Would that be correct?
>

I _think_ that also the non-NULL state scenario is relevant.

choose_random_entry_impl() is called with an initialized state in
onion_extend_cpath(). That's the codepath when "we are building a circuit and
we need an entry guard for it".

choose_random_entry_impl() is called with a NULL state in
add_an_entry_guard(). That's the codepath for "shit we are out of entry
guards. We need a new one."

I think both of these codepaths are relevant.

Maybe to make sure, add some logging calls in choose_random_entry_impl() and
start up your Tor, to see if it's called with a NULL state or not.

> Cheers,
> Iván