I <benn...@sdf.org> wrote: > Logforme <m7...@abc.se> wrote: > > > > > On 2021-05-26 08:18:32, "Scott Bennett" <benn...@sdf.org> wrote: > > >I interpret that as meaning that one > > >or more criteria being used by one or more authorities has changed, > > What I have noticed on my relay is that the "Consensus Weight" is > > fluctuating. > > CW is too complicated for my tiny brain but I believe the measurements > > from the Bandwidth Authorities is involved. The BWAuths are spread > > around the world and depending on current internet conditions they get > > different speed values to your relay. But can it cause massive swings in > > CW? > > Yes. My relay is on a residential service connection and its "bandwidth" > rating from the Authority relays typically oscillates between ~30 and ~120, so > proportionally the swings are often fairly wild.
A new, more extreme problem has emerged in the last two or three days. My relay's "Bandwidth" in the consensus documents dropped suddenly to 14, then 4 for about 18 hours, and finally to 3, where it has remained ever since. This is still the first time I can remember it showing up in the consensus with a value lower than "Bandwidth=20 Unmeasured=1". On Wednesday I took a quick look at the then current consensus file and found the following, regarding single-digit "Bandwidth" values. Script started on Wed Jun 2 10:36:48 2021 hellas# grep '^w Bandwidth=' /var/db/tor/cached-consensus | wc -l 6777 hellas# grep '^w Bandwidth=.$' /var/db/tor/cached-consensus | wc -l 610 hellas# grep '^w Bandwidth=1$' /var/db/tor/cached-consensus | wc -l 359 hellas# ^1^2 grep '^w Bandwidth=2$' /var/db/tor/cached-consensus | wc -l 53 hellas# ^2^3 grep '^w Bandwidth=3$' /var/db/tor/cached-consensus | wc -l 32 hellas# ^3^4 grep '^w Bandwidth=4$' /var/db/tor/cached-consensus | wc -l 25 hellas# ^4^5 grep '^w Bandwidth=5$' /var/db/tor/cached-consensus | wc -l 31 hellas# ^5^6 grep '^w Bandwidth=6$' /var/db/tor/cached-consensus | wc -l 29 hellas# ^6^7 grep '^w Bandwidth=7$' /var/db/tor/cached-consensus | wc -l 27 hellas# ^7^8 grep '^w Bandwidth=8$' /var/db/tor/cached-consensus | wc -l 32 hellas# ^8^9 grep '^w Bandwidth=9$' /var/db/tor/cached-consensus | wc -l 22 hellas# exit exit Script done on Wed Jun 2 10:39:46 2021 As you can see, 9% of relays in that consensus had single-digit "Bandwidth" values assigned to them by the Authority relays, and the sizable majority (almost 59%) of those were dumped into the lowest bin ("Bandwidth=1"). I frequently observe my relay chugging along at 330 KB/s to 355 KB/s and occasionally at more than 400 KB/s. It appears that the Authority relays no longer consider that worthwhile, so is there any reason that I should continue to run tor as a relay? Or should I reconfigure it to run as a client only and stop needing to pay atention to it? I started running it around sixteen years ago, but if it's no longer going to be used, maybe I should shut it down instead of letting it just add clutter to the consensus.. > > > Maybe the BWAuths have changed their measurement technique during the > > last couple of months? > > Well, I first noticed it late last year, IIRC. The measurement technique > will, of course, often give deceptive results. For example, if the connection > supports ~350 KB/s and the relay has little traffic at the time measurement > begins, the result should be fairly close to the true value. OTOH, if the > relay is handling 200 KB/s of traffic for other circuits at the time > measurement > begins, then the result should be at most only ~150 KB/s, which is far from > the > true value. > > > > > A further question I would like to raise is why do the Authority relays > > >use different criteria from one to another for the automatic assignment of > > >flags? Should they not be consistent in using the same rules? > > > > > I agree that it is confusing that 2 auths don't assign the HSDir flag > > according to the spec. > > I have no explanation apart from that AFAIK moria1 is run by Roger > > Dingledine and I guess he runs a lot of beta and test stuff. > > moria1 publishes 2 HSDir "Flag Threshold" values (hsdir-wfu and > > Yeah, I saw that, but don't know quite what to make of it. > > > hsdir-tk) that no other auth publishes which leads me to believe moria1 > > runs another version of the auth software that handles the HSDir flag > > differently. That don't explain bastet though. > > And it only accounts for two Authority relays, whereas you said five are > refusing to assign HSDir to my relay, which, as you pointed out, may depend > upon network conditions between those Authority relays and my relay at the > time > and have nothing at all to do with my relay or how much traffic my relay could > handle or might actually be handling at the time. > > > > It's fun to speculate :) > > > I would rather not be kept in the dark. It should not be like trying to > get information on what the criminals who rule over us are up to. > The problems outlined above would be mitigated somewhat if the > measurements > were filtered somehow, which could be as simple a filter as a boxcar moving > average. Yes, I know that for many purposes a rectangular window gives lousy > results, but for the purpose of understanding relays' capacities over time as > having values that usually change slowly if at all a boxcar moving average > should > be plenty good enough. An exponential moving average would probably also be > fine. The point of using a filter for the measurements would be to minimize > the > temporary interference of transient network conditions affecting the > measurement > process and corrupting some of the results at some times but not at others. > Of > course, measurements outside some number of standard deviations from the mean > for a relay could be discarded, as well. At present, it is difficult to > separate > the deficiencies of the measurement method from the network realities in > trying > to interpret the measurements. Scott Bennett, Comm. ASMELG, CFIAG ********************************************************************** * Internet: bennett at sdf.org *xor* bennett at freeshell.org * *--------------------------------------------------------------------* * "A well regulated and disciplined militia, is at all times a good * * objection to the introduction of that bane of all free governments * * -- a standing army." * * -- Gov. John Hancock, New York Journal, 28 January 1790 * ********************************************************************** _______________________________________________ tor-relays mailing list tor-relays@lists.torproject.org https://lists.torproject.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/tor-relays