Tor memory usage on embedded systems.

[basile]

phobos at rootme.org wrote:
> On Fri, Mar 06, 2009 at 01:12:51AM +0100, slush at slush.cz wrote 3.6K bytes in 99 lines about:
> : > Thanks for pointing that out.  I'm trying to answer the question what is
> : > the minimum amount of RAM required to run a bare minimum linux system
> : > which can support a tor relay/exit/directory node.  Suggestions?
>
> The command "pmap" may also work,
> http://linuxcommand.org/man_pages/pmap1.html
>
> It gives you a handy total at the end of its output.
>
> Alternatively, just parse /proc/{tor pid}/status for the details.
>
>   
Hi Andrew, this is one approach, but I want a system total, not just the
memory usage on a process by process basis.  It would be nice to be able
to answer questions like "if we want to run a tor exit and directory
server at such and such a rate on an embedded device, how much ram does
the device need?".   Tor needs some minimal OS in which to live.  The
least I could do is busybox + openntp + tor.  The memory requirements of
these processes must be added in.   Also embedded devices run purely in
RAM, so the filesystem contributes to usage and tor needs about 30MB in
its DataDirectory.  This also needs to be added in.  Rather than
identifying all the pieces and adding, which is not the easiest thing to
do without missing something or double counting, the approach I took is
to just ask the system for a total with free.  (Eg. pmap needs careful
interpretaion when adding up totals for more than one process because of
shared memory.)

I think my MIPS numbers are good, but my i686 are misleading.  slush's
response jarred me to look at how "free" reports memory usage for
transitional ramdisks (/dev/ramX) devices versus what it does with
initramfs.

-- 

Anthony G. Basile, Ph.D.
Chair of Information Technology
D'Youville College
Buffalo, NY 14201
USA

(716) 829-8197



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