On Fri, 9 Dec 2011 05:26:19 -0500, Chris wrote: > I am looking into setting up a distribution where Tor or freenet is > used to create a secure and anonymous environment for communicating.
Very cool. I've done that too :-). > One of the issues with freenet is that it is slow. I haven't used it > in many years and do understand it has gotten much better. I also am > aware that after a few days it gets faster as popular data is > retained and gets 'cached' on your node and nearby nodes based on > what those around you are doing. > > What I'm trying to figure out is what happens when your node is not on > 24/7 and you can only connect infrequently for several hours at a > time. It runs at esssentially the same speed (minus the benefits of immediate local caching, of course) -- which is pretty slow but manageable. It may take a few seconds / a minute longer to fetch things, but that's still a minute longer than the censored web provides, so either way users will have to adjust their expectations. Booting into the network will also take an additional minute or so, which always-on nodes don't have to worry about. > Many users have a persistent local threat that they need to be aware > of. Leaving a server running is not an option as it could be > compromised by an adversary. > > Removable media can reduce that threat. The keyword being *reduce* :p. We all have that concern and fear, of unforeseen zero-day linux exploits, etc. (We already know they exist in Window$ :). Ideally you would want to make extra sure you have "enough" contingency planning (proper permissioning / stable and patched software / firewalls / perhaps "caged" virtual machines / "sentry" programs / whatever your paranoia desires), so such fears are minimized. They will never be eliminated though. > What I'm looking to find out is if you run a freenode from a > removable media and then run a local server running freenode to use > as one of your peers (which could be on all the time) does this post > a threat? Besides the obvious risks of either of those machines being compromised (by any number of ways: physically, buggy software, leaky software, etc), traffic analysis will always be a threat with Tor, and also with Freenet if bad guys have somehow managed to occupy all your peer connections. But besides these well known threats, I think it's pretty safe. But not perfectly safe. > If no local server is run that you peer with how is the speed if you > only connect every few days? Is running freenet for a few hours to > several hours going to be sufficient or will it be unbearably slow? It's bearable. (After it takes a few minutes to connect to the network.) I suppose it's similar to fetching a freesite you never fetched before -- perhaps a bit faster. > With Tor speeds are frequently severely limited. Especially > with .onion nodes. Some non-onion servers can be accessed with > significant speed though for sustained periods (15-300... maybe > faster). That's probably not a Tor-specific problem -- but simply the less powerful server behind the onioning. I don't think there are any youtube-sized .onion servers. _______________________________________________ Support mailing list Support@freenetproject.org http://news.gmane.org/gmane.network.freenet.support Unsubscribe at http://emu.freenetproject.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/support Or mailto:support-requ...@freenetproject.org?subject=unsubscribe
