[tor-relays] Planning a relay

[Austin Bentley]

>"I guess the first question should be whether such a relay would be
welcome on the Tor network in the first place? I am aware that connecting
to Tor through a VPN isn't generally recommended, but what about running a
relay through one? Better idea, or a ridiculously bad one?"
It isn't a better idea, certainly; but it isn't so bad as to throw it out
entirely. Since all non-exit communications are encrypted, there wouldn't
be any huge "no-nos" as far as that is concerned.

However, with an exit node, (some) communications aren't encrypted. It
really boils down to whether or not you trust your provider. However, the
same can be said with a VPS provider! I would not be concerned about it;
please add your relay to the network.

>"Second, while it would run on a (nearly) dedicated 100mbit connection, i
do not have dedicated equipment. The machine needs to be taken offline
between every 2-4 weeks, for some days at a time. Frequent OS updates also
often require reboots in addition to this downtime. So much for a stable
flag, but more importantly i need to know if this behavior is undesirable
for running middle/exit relays? If so, would a bridge be better suitable
with the tools i have at hand?"

The main reason we strive for stable, rock-solid relays is for
connectivity. If you have ever used SSH/IRC via Tor, you know how annoying
it is when you get disconnected. This is likely because one of the 3 relays
went offline. I would say a machine that goes offline every 2-4 days would
be beyond acceptable; but one that goes offline every few hours is
ridiculous. Just keep in mind that everytime you shut down your system, you
close a lot of folk's connections, and some software wasn't made to handle
that without it being a pain in the ass (ie PuTTY; you'll have to retype
your password).

You shouldn't have to power off that often. If so, consider reconfiguring
your OS or switching your OS to a more stable one; my favorite is FreeBSD,
never have to reboot for anything, but I'm not going to start preaching
here.

>bridges
I have no experience running a bridge, and I don't feel rather comfortable
telling you the wrong information. I would perform a few more searches.


Feel free to reply and I should be able to get back to you in a timely
manner.


On Fri, Dec 5, 2014 at 4:43 PM, TT <tbr66 at riseup.net> wrote:

>  I'm thinking of running a relay, and i've a few questions regarding the
> requirements and the general setup. So far this is just planning.
>
> The hardware would be clean and in my possession, but the connection would
> go through a Swedish-based VPN provider because i'm not interested in
> running it through my own IP address. The provider endorses Tor and places
> no limits whatsoever on the services run through their connection, has port
> forwarding and allows exits, so no issues there. They also have a strict
> no-logging policy, but words are cheap so you never know.
>
> I guess the first question should be whether such a relay would be welcome
> on the Tor network in the first place? I am aware that connecting to Tor
> through a VPN isn't generally recommended, but what about running a relay
> through one? Better idea, or a ridiculously bad one?
>
> Second, while it would run on a (nearly) dedicated 100mbit connection, i
> do not have dedicated equipment. The machine needs to be taken offline
> between every 2-4 weeks, for some days at a time. Frequent OS updates also
> often require reboots in addition to this downtime. So much for a stable
> flag, but more importantly i need to know if this behavior is undesirable
> for running middle/exit relays? If so, would a bridge be better suitable
> with the tools i have at hand?
>
> Third, regarding running bridges. The Tor Project FAQ states running your
> own bridge might improve your own anonymity. I assume this means you would
> manually set up your TBB to connect to *your own* bridge, is this correct?
> And finally, since the bridge would run on a separate (VPN) IP address,
> would this make a difference (re:anonymity) for better or worse if you
> connected through it yourself? I'm likely missing something here because it
> seems it would basically be the same as simply connecting to Tor through
> the VPN client alone.
>
> Thanks.
>
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>
>
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