aboutsummaryrefslogtreecommitdiff
path: root/glossary.txt
diff options
context:
space:
mode:
authorChelsea H. Komlo <chelsea.komlo@gmail.com>2017-03-14 16:12:57 -0500
committerChelsea H. Komlo <chelsea.komlo@gmail.com>2017-05-07 17:42:07 -0400
commitf6149b3d2c3c587d21fb196cc1fc8f3b2dc698a5 (patch)
treec84ddbbe1924dad8e66d07df9bcec88dd7c33511 /glossary.txt
parent3825d0733a05283eae0ab84410593c4e72757857 (diff)
downloadtorspec-f6149b3d2c3c587d21fb196cc1fc8f3b2dc698a5.tar.gz
torspec-f6149b3d2c3c587d21fb196cc1fc8f3b2dc698a5.zip
adds more descriptive subsections, changes section organization
Diffstat (limited to 'glossary.txt')
-rw-r--r--glossary.txt105
1 files changed, 88 insertions, 17 deletions
diff --git a/glossary.txt b/glossary.txt
index ba4baeb..9f1bdc0 100644
--- a/glossary.txt
+++ b/glossary.txt
@@ -15,24 +15,76 @@ This glossary is not a design document; it is only a reference.
"OPTIONAL" in this document are to be interpreted as described in
RFC 2119.
-0.1 Commonly used Tor configuration terms
+1.0 Commonly used Tor configuration terms
ORPort - Onion Router Port
DirPort - Directory Port
-0.2 Tor network components
+2.0 Tor network components
- Relay, aka OR (onion router) -
- Exit relay
- Non-exit relay
- Guard relay
- Client, aka OP (onion proxy)
+ 2.1 Relay, aka OR (onion router)
- Bridge -
+ 2.1.1 Specific roles
- Circuit: An established path through the network, where cryptographic keys
- are negotiated using the ntor protocol with each hop. Circuits can differ
- in length depending on their purpose. See also Leaky Pipe Topology.
+ Exit relay: The final hop in an exit circuit before traffic leaves
+ the Tor network to connect to external servers.
+
+ Non-exit relay: Relays which send and receive traffic only to
+ other Tor relays.
+
+ Entry relay: The first hop in a Tor circuit. Can be either a guard
+ relay or a bridge, with bridges taking precedant.
+
+ Guard relay: Currently only used as entry relays. Guard relays
+ are rotated more slowly to prevent enumeration attacks.
+
+ Bridge: A relay intentionally not listed in the public Tor
+ consensus, with the purpose of circumventing entities (such as
+ governments or ISPs) seeking to block clients from using Tor.
+ Currently, bridges are used only as entry relays.
+
+ Directory cache: On bootstrap, clients will query a directory
+ authority for the latest consensus. However, later consensus
+ fetches can be made to directory caches, which can be any relay in
+ the network.
+
+ Rendezvous point: A relay connecting a client to a hidden service.
+ Each party will build a three-hop circuit, meeting at the
+ rendezvous point.
+
+ 2.2 Client, aka OP (onion proxy)
+
+ 2.3 Authorities:
+
+ Directory Authority: Nine total in the Tor network, operated by
+ trusted individuals. Directory authorities define and serve the
+ consensus document, i.e, the "state of the network," which contains
+ router statuses for all relays currently in the network. Directory
+ authorities also serve server descriptors, extra info documents,
+ microdescriptors, and the microdescriptor consensus,
+
+ Bridge Authority: One total. Similar in responsibility to directory
+ authorities, but for bridges.
+
+ Fallback Directory Mirror: On bootstrap, a client will first attempt
+ to fetch the consensus document from fallback directory mirrors,
+ a relay selected for this role due to its stability and longevity
+ on the network.
+
+ 2.4 Hidden Service:
+
+ A hidden service is a server that will only accept incoming
+ connections via the hidden service protocol. Connection
+ initiators will not be able to learn the IP address of the hidden
+ service, allowing the hidden service to receive incoming connections,
+ serve content, etc, while preserving its location anonymity.
+
+ 2.5 Circuit:
+
+ An established path through the network, where cryptographic keys
+ are negotiated using the ntor protocol or TAP (Tor Authentication
+ Protocol (deprecated) with each hop. Circuits can differ in length
+ depending on their purpose. See also Leaky Pipe Topology.
Origin Circuit -
@@ -44,15 +96,34 @@ This glossary is not a design document; it is only a reference.
network. For example, a client could connect to a hidden service via
an internal circuit.
- Stream
- Edge connection:
+ 2.6 Edge connection:
- TLS connection:
+ 2.7 Consensus: The state of the Tor network, published every hour,
+ decided by a vote from the network's directory authorities. Clients
+ fetch the consensus from directory authorities, fallback
+ directories, or directory caches.
+ 2.8 Descriptor: Each descriptor represents information about one
+ relay in the Tor network. The descriptor includes the relay's IP
+ address, public key fingerprint, along with other data. Relays send
+ descriptors to directory authorities, who will vote and publish a
+ summary of them in the network consensus.
+
+3.0 Tor network protocols
Link handshake
Circuit handshake
+ Hidden Service Protocol
+ Directory Protocol
+
+
+4.0 General network definitions
+
+ Leaky Pipe Topology: The ability for packets to be addressed to any
+ hop in the path of a circuit. In Tor, the destination hop is
+ determined by using the recognized field of relay cells.
- Leaky Pipe Topology: The ability for packets to be addressed to any hop
- in the path of a circuit. The destination hop is determined by using the
- recognized field of relay cells.
+ Stream: In the Tor network specifically, TCP streams are multiplexed
+ over circuits.
+ TLS connection: All pairwise connections in the Tor network are made
+ over TLS.