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{{Title|title=
Network Obstacle
}}
{{#seo:
|description=Potential solutions for and the organizational background on network obstacles
|image=Networkobstacle123123455.png
}}
<div class="mininav">
* [[Network_Obstacle|Network Obstacle]]
* [[Bridges|Configure (Private) (Obfuscated) Tor Bridges]]
* [[Hide_Tor_from_your_Internet_Service_Provider|Hide Tor use from the {{isp}}]]
</div>
[[File:Networkobstacle123123455.png|thumb]]
{{intro|
Some users will experience "network obstacles" when using {{project_name_long}} because some internet service providers (ISPs) in various countries block (censor, prevent) access to the public Tor network. In this instance, [[Bridges]] may or may not help in circumventing Tor censorship.

This page describes potential solutions for and the organizational background on network obstacles.
}}
= Introduction =

{{project_name_short}} is a [[What_we_do|research]] and implementation project that is based on thousands of freely available software packages. You can learn more about the organizational structure {{kicksecure_wiki
|wikipage=Linux_User_Experience_versus_Commercial_Operating_Systems
|text=here
}}.

The {{tpo_link
|subdomain=support
|about/what-is-tor/
|Tor
}} software is used to establish anonymized external connections, but the {{project_name_short}} project does not maintain Tor. [[Tor#Does_Whonix_Modify_Tor.3F|The Tor package itself is also <u>not</u> modified by {{project_name_short}}.]]

Further, the [[Why does Whonix use Tor|reliance]] of the {{project_name_short}} platform on [[Tor]] does not imply developers are experts about the Tor software or censorship circumvention [[Bridges]].

= Reasonable Conclusions =

When users experience connectivity issues it is unreasonable to automatically assume the {{project_name_short}} project is the underlying cause. Nor are {{project_name_short}} developers experts in resolving various network obstacles. For these reasons, the [[Troubleshooting]] page recommends:

<blockquote>In case of connectivity issues: Check if [https://www.torproject.org/download/ Tor Browser] works on the host.</blockquote>

<blockquote>If the Tor Browser Bundle is not functional on the host, then {{project_name_short}} is unlikely to work either. It is recommended to have a recent Tor Browser Bundle version installed at all times. This way users can test if they live in a censored area or not and whether Tor is blocked by the ISP. Further, if (private) (obfuscated) bridges are necessary for Tor Browser Bundle functionality on the host, then {{project_name_short}} will similarly require them.</blockquote>

In conclusion, if connectivity issues are experienced with {{project_name_short}} a sensible first step is to test Tor Browser (TB) functionality on the host. If issues persist on the host then the Tor community should be directly contacted about the issue, since the {{project_name_short}} platform cannot be the primary source of the problem. In this case it is useful to [https://support.torproject.org/censorship/#censorship_censorship-5 make a copy of Tor logs] to help identify the cause of the problem. <ref>For example, if logs indicate a connection cannot be made to the Tor guard relay, this may suggest the network is censored.</ref>

== Tor Browser ==
{{mbox
| type    = notice
| image   = [[File:Ambox_notice.png|40px|alt=Info]]
| text    = Tip.

It is recommended to always have the latest {{tpo_link|download/|<u>T</u>or <u>B</u>rowser <u>B</u>undle (TBB)}} installed outside of {{project_name_short}}.

* [[Non-Qubes-Whonix|{{non_q_project_name_short}}]] users: It is recommended to always have TBB installed on the host operating system (OS) or on Debian (preferably) (inside a VM).
* [[Qubes|{{q_project_name_long}}]] users: It is recommended to always have TBB installed in an App Qube based on a non-{{project_name_short}} Template, i.e. in a Template that is different from {{project_name_short}}.

Debian <code>{{Stable project version based on Debian version short}}</code> (<code>{{Stable_project_version_based_on_Debian_codename}}</code>) (preferably) is recommended, because that is what {{project_name_short}} is based on. Other Linux based operating systems such as Fedora might also do.
}}

Refer to the [[Install_Tor_Browser_Outside_of_{{project_name_short}}|Install <u>T</u>or <u>B</u>rowser (TB) on Debian, Kicksecure or Qubes]] chapter for TB installation instructions on all platforms. TBB is useful to test whether or not:

* The user lives in a censored area.
* Tor is blocked by the Internet Service Provider (ISP).
* (Private) (obfuscated) bridges will be needed for operation of Tor Browser in {{project_name_short}}, see [[Bridges]].

If TB fails to properly connect to Tor on the host OS or from a non-{{project_name_short}} App Qube in Qubes, then Tor Browser inside {{project_name_short}} will similarly fail to work. Another benefit of installing TB in this fashion is that if Tor Browser unexpectedly stops running in {{project_name_short}}, then Tor Browser can still be independently used to visit the {{project_name_short}} website for a solution to this issue.

For better security and privacy, users should read and follow the advice in the [[Tor_Browser|Tor Browser]] chapter.

= See Also =

* [[Troubleshooting]]

= Footnotes =

{{reflist|close=1}}

{{Footer}}

[[Category:Documentation]]