[tor-relays] (no subject)

[Roger Dingledine]

On Tue, Feb 25, 2014 at 02:27:22PM +1100, Zenaan Harkness wrote:
>  tor
> should never stop running (or crash) with just a config file reload!

Alas, I disagree. The alternative is that it *doesn't* stop running,
yet you think it's using the new torrc file when it isn't. That would
be a worse kind of surprise.

Unless you have a third alternative that is better? I agree that the
current state is not great.

That said, we *do* have a partial answer, in the init script itself -- it
runs Tor with --verify-config to make sure that the config file itself is
parseable. So the remaining trouble is when the config file is parseable,
but the requested changes are incompatible with Tor's current state.

> DisableDebuggerAttachment 0
> 
> This is the only change, the one which subsequent to adding that
> option, and running service tor reload, tor apparently stopped
> running, as above.

Yes. Please read your Tor logs where it explains why.

https://www.torproject.org/docs/faq#Logs

> So the only change that I am aware of that could have caused the HSDir
> flag (as shown in arm) to go away, was either that option
> (DisableDebuggerAttachment 0), or simply the fact that the relay
> crashed (or somehow otherwise stopped running).

It's the latter -- the HSDir flag is a function of the stability of your
relay. See
https://gitweb.torproject.org/torspec.git/blob/HEAD:/dir-spec.txt#l1867

--Roger