Persistent data in Tor browser bundle?

Question

What sort of persistent data is generated by bundled Tor?

I recently did an experiment using the Tor Browser Bundle for GNU-Linux. I created two directories, A and B, and placed an identical copy of Tor in each one.

Next I placed a simple python script in directory A that both launched the vidalia package and, when exiting the network, deleted the entire contents of A with the exception of itself and rebuilt the bundle from the original archive.

What surprises me is that after about ten hours of browsing each, A and B now show a distinct difference in startup time. Also curious is that I get a message in the log of B that never shows up in A: new control connection open which is a notice level advisory.

This has nothing to do with what I was originally testing but now I'm interested in what exactly is going on.

By the way I do not have to rely on Tor for my personal safety as many are forced to do so even if you just have a hunch I'd be interested in hearing it.

Answer 1

\It sounds like you might be running both these instances concurrently?

The Vidalia control panel probably uses the Tor control protocol (TorCP) which lets an external program control or shut down Tor cleanly. So you may get that message if an old instance of the actual tor program was running and didn't shut down for some reason, and the second Vidalia connected to it.

If A takes longer to start than B, and you started A before B, A was probably delayed on Tor creating circuits or getting its initial directory info.