RE: disappearing nodes

["Michael Laccetti" <michael@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

For me, most of the problems I have relate to number seven.  I'll be putting
some monitoring in place to check on it.  That's about the only reason why my
node would go down.  While number six has happened, and is an annoyance, I'm
more than willing to put up with it to help ensure privacy. 

-----Original Message-----
From: owner-or-talk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:owner-or-talk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf
Of Geoffrey Goodell
Sent: March 19, 2005 16:09
To: or-talk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: disappearing nodes

I recently made the observation that despite the fact that new nodes join the
Tor network at a reasonable rate, other nodes disappear from the Tor network as
well, such that the total number of Tor nodes in the system remains relatively
constant.

I have also noticed in particular that while the number of nodes in Germany
seems to be increasing over time, the number of nodes in the United States seems
to be decreasing over time.  While a few months ago there were roughly eighty US
nodes, now there are fewer than sixty.

My question, particularly (but not exclusively) to American Tor node operators
is: what factors have influenced your decision to remain a participant in the
Tor network?  If you have shut down your node, then why have you done so?

Roger and I can think of several possibile reasons why you (Tor node
operators) might allow your nodes to disappear from the system:

1. You lose interest in the Tor project.

2. You become disillusioned with the goals of the Tor project.

3. Tor crashes too often to be useful to you personally.

4. Managing an installation of Tor is too difficult to be worth your effort.

5. Your ISP threatens to terminate your Internet access contract if you do not
stop running Tor.

6. Blacklisting by Tor-unfriendly Internet resource providers (such as Wikipedia
or Google Groups) is unpalatable to you.

7. Tor crashed while you were not looking, and you forgot about it or otherwise
failed to restart it.

----------

What are your thoughts?  Which of these possible explanations are most relevant
in your case?  Am I missing some other explanation, perhaps?

Geoff



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