[tor-relays] R: Re: Request for Feedback on Relay Node Update Management

denny.obreham at a-n-o-n-y-m-e.net denny.obreham at a-n-o-n-y-m-e.net
Tue Apr 2 21:24:06 UTC 2024


   You should tweak your web server as presented in this section:

   https://github.com/Enkidu-6/tor-ddos?tab=readme-ov-file#first-step-prep
   aring-your-system-for-high-number-of-connections

   This would most likely solve Out-Of-Memory problems I suspect you are
   experiencing.

   Denny
   On 04/02/2024 10:06 AM Alessandro Greco via tor-relays wrote ..

   My computer has:

   - 1 vCore CPU

   - 1 GB RAM

   - Maximum bandwidth: 1 GB/s

   So if I understand correctly, the problem should not be at the hardware
   level, right?

     Il mar, apr 2, 2024 alle 12:14, Frank Lý via tor-relays
     <[1]tor-relays at lists.torproject.org> ha scritto:

     Hello Aleff,
     That is up to you. I strongly suspect that the hardware is the
     bottleneck, but detailed specifications are required in order to
     determine a conclusion. Tor is currently bounded by single-thread
     CPU performance, with a minimum recommendation of 1 GB of RAM for
     non-exit relays faster than 40 Mbit/s. If your hardware does not
     meet these RAM requirements, upgrade it, then adjust the relay
     bandwidth rate limit as necessary.
     Frank
     Mar 27, 2024, 7:00 AM by tor-relays at lists.torproject.org:
     > I want to thank you for all the support replies you sent in
     response to my previous communication. I have carefully read through
     all your insights and appreciate your efforts in trying to find a
     solution to the issue.
     >
     > After thorough consideration of the matter, I have concluded that
     the problem may not be due to configuration errors in the automatic
     updates, as initially speculated. Rather, it seems that the issue
     could be hardware-related, with my VPS computer potentially unable
     to handle a certain amount of traffic.
     >
     > It's worth noting that there are no bandwidth issues, and the
     connection speed is high. However, I have set a RelayBandwidthRate
     limit of 250 Mbits. Interestingly, despite this configuration, the
     Tor Metrics site detects a speed of approximately 10/13 MBytes,
     equivalent to about 90/110 Mbits. This led me to speculate that the
     machine might experience an overload of operations or connections,
     causing it to crash temporarily. As a result, at the time of
     restart, Tor Statistics records the maximum speed reached up to that
     point (without ever reaching the set limit). Subsequently, following
     this theory, the Tor service restarts automatically without causing
     any anomalies in the service.
     >
     > To address this situation, I have decided to reduce the
     RelayBandwidthRate limit from 250 Mbits to 100 Mbits, which falls
     within the minimum limits proposed by torproject. If this is the
     case, however, it is also true that it would be best to impose an
     upper limit of 80% when considering the bandwidth magnitude
     involving the crash event as the maximum point. I honestly don't
     know how I would be able to verify this and acquire this kind of
     data, probably doing trial and error is the way. Perhaps the ideal
     would be to lower the maximum bandwidth further to verify for sure
     that this is what it is?
     >
     > Currently, I am closely monitoring the situation to assess whether
     this modification has a positive impact on the issue.
     >
     > I will keep you updated on any progress, and I thank you once
     again for your support and understanding.
     >
     > Best regards,
     >
     > Aleff.
     >
     > ---
     >
     > Browse my WebSite: aleff-gitlab.gitlab.io
     > Use my PGP Public Key:
     pgp.mit.edu/pks/lookup?op=get&search=0x7CFCE404A2168C85
     > Join to support:
     > - Free Software Foundation! (my.fsf.org/join?referrer=6202114)
     > - Electronic Frontier Foundation! (eff.org)
     > - Tor-Project (torproject.org)
     > - Signal (signal.org)
     >
     > martedì 26 marzo 2024 11:21, torrelay.9puwh--- via tor-relays ha
     scritto:
     >
     >> Hi Alessandro,
     >>
     >> It's good to hear from you. I have a relay in a somewhat similar
     situation[1], although I've only just clocked it. If you're using
     Debian or one of its derivatives, then you can configure the
     unattended-upgrades package to perform a restart at a specific time
     if required. This means that your relay won't restart every time an
     upgrade is required, but will keep itself up to date. I think
     configuring a time for a daily restart (if upgrade required) would
     be a fairly good balance between stability and reliability.
     >>
     >> See what other people say or from your own experience, as Tor
     circuits are generally quite resilient and as long as you aren't a
     guard node I believe connections won't die because your relay is
     restarting.
     >>
     >> I would also note that Tor recommends [2] an uptime or 24/7 is
     nice, but not required and that restarts to the daemon or node are
     fine. Because of this, it might not be worth worrying too much about
     this issue.
     >>
     >> I hope you find some of this useful,
     >> Seth
     >>
     >>
     >>
     >> [1]
     https://metrics.torproject.org/rs.html#details/5FEB80D4DCC63180CB4D8
     7C1222177BB099E55AE
     >> [2] https://community.torproject.org/relay/relays-requirements/
     >> -------- Original Message --------
     >> On 26/03/2024 08:54, Alessandro Greco via tor-relays
     tor-relays at lists.torproject.org wrote:
     >>
     >> > Dear Tor-Relays Mailing List Members,
     >> >
     >>
     >> > I hope this email finds you well. I'm reaching out to share
     some observations and pose some questions regarding the management
     of relay node updates, particularly concerning their impact on
     stability and security of the service provided.
     >> >
     >>
     >> > Recently, I've noticed an interesting pattern with my relay
     node (ID: 47B72187844C00AA5D524415E52E3BE81E63056B [1]). I've
     followed TorProject's recommendations [2] and configured automatic
     updates, which has led to frequent restarts of the node to keep the
     Tor software up-to-date. While this practice ensures high security
     by keeping the software updated, it seems to compromise the
     stability of the node itself. The Uptime value of my node has
     remained at a maximum of a few hours.
     >> >
     >>
     >> > This situation has prompted me to reflect on what might be the
     best strategy to adopt. On one hand, frequent updates ensure optimal
     security, while on the other hand, continuous restarts may affect
     the user experience for those relying on the node's stability for
     their Tor activities.
     >> >
     >>
     >> > As such, I'd like to pose some questions to the community to
     gather feedback and assess best practices:
     >> >
     >>
     >> > 1. In your opinion, is it preferable to maintain automatic
     updates to ensure maximum security, even if frequent restarts may
     compromise the node's stability?
     >> > 2. Or would it be more sensible to adjust the update frequency,
     perhaps performing them once or twice a week, to ensure greater
     stability of the node without excessively compromising security?
     >> > 3. Have you had similar experiences with your relay nodes? How
     have you addressed this challenge and what were the outcomes?
     >> >
     >>
     >> > Thank you in advance for your time and cooperation.
     >> >
     >>
     >> > Best regards,
     >> > Aleff.
     >> >
     >>
     >> > [1]
     https://metrics.torproject.org/rs.html#details/47B72187844C00AA5D524
     415E52E3BE81E63056B
     >> > [2]
     https://community.torproject.org/relay/setup/guard/debian-ubuntu/upd
     ates/
     >> >
     >>
     >> > ---
     >> >
     >>
     >> > Browse my WebSite: aleff-gitlab.gitlab.io
     >> > Use my PGP Public Key:
     pgp.mit.edu/pks/lookup?op=get&search=0x7CFCE404A2168C85
     >> > Join to support:
     >> > - Free Software Foundation! (my.fsf.org/join?referrer=6202114)
     >> > - Electronic Frontier Foundation! (eff.org)
     >> > - Tor-Project (torproject.org)
     >> > - Signal
     (signal.org)_______________________________________________
     >> > tor-relays mailing list
     >> > tor-relays at lists.torproject.org
     >> >
     https://lists.torproject.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/tor-relays
     >>
     >>
     >>
     >> _______________________________________________
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     >>
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