RE: Clock problems

[Scott Bennett <bennett@xxxxxxxxxx>]

     On Mon, 9 Mar 2009 09:56:39 -0400 downie - <downgeoff2@xxxxxxxxxxx>
wrote without attribution:
>>      This is the "clock jump" problem that I reported here a number of ti=
>mes
>> last year.  It can be triggered by an interruption in transmission of dat=
>a
>> over your Internet connection for a period exceeding
>> NUM_JUMPED_SECONDS_BEFORE_WARN seconds (see src/or/main.c).  Currently=2C=
> that
>> is 100 seconds.  tor interprets this situation as meaning that it is runn=
>ing
>> on a system that has just awakened from suspension/hibernation=2C so it m=
>arks
>> all OR connections (and circuits over them) as having expired.  It has be=
>en
>> quite a few months since my relay last suffered from this situation=2C so=
> I
>> don't remember now whether it also results in publication of a new descri=
>ptor
>> as if the relay had just been reinitialized.
>>      In the short run=2C you can work around the problem with the patch b=
>elow=2C
>> which will reduce broken connections but will not stop the holdups nor th=
>eir
>> effect upon the tor network.  The better=2C longer-term solution is most =
>likely
>> to fire your ISP and hire a better one=2C which is what I did at the earl=
>iest
>> opportunity.
>>=20
>>  ---------->8 start of clockjump patch to 0.2.1.12-alpha 8<--------------=
>>=20
>
>   [patch deleted  --SB]
>
>> I haven't tried this on 0.2.0.34=2C but this area of the code seems to ch=
>ange
>> fairly infrequently=2C so patch(1) can usually deal with changes in the l=
>ine
>> numbers from release to release.  Or you can change "100" to "300" by han=
>d=2C
>> or course. :-)
>>=20
>
>Thank you=2C that makes sense.
>I don't compile=2C so I can't apply the patch=2C but perhaps the developers=
> could add that constant to the torrc options?
>
     I'm afraid I would have to come down on the side of opposing such an
option.  When an ISP is incompetent to provide a properly functioning
connection, which is, after all, part of what it is being *paid to do*, the
better solution is to fire the ISP and hire one that *is* competent.  The
delay that I had in following that advice was due to the combination of a) my
mistake in having signed a one-year contract with an early termination penalty
and b) severe poverty that made suffering the penalty infeasible.  I still
question whether I was right or wrong in offering relay service that was so
fucked up without any way to advise clients of the hazards involved in plotting
a circuit through my relay during that time.
     FWIW, I am currently dealing with a new (to me) situation involving my
current ISP, but I'll post comments on that later.


                                  Scott Bennett, Comm. ASMELG, CFIAG
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