{"id":2637,"date":"2022-01-29T21:30:41","date_gmt":"2022-01-29T20:30:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.torbox.ch\/?page_id=2637"},"modified":"2025-05-25T18:12:04","modified_gmt":"2025-05-25T17:12:04","slug":"first-start-up-dialogue","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.torbox.ch\/?page_id=2637","title":{"rendered":"First Start-up Dialogue"},"content":{"rendered":"
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To make the first necessary configuration, a handful of questions must be answered during the first start-up. To protect people in authoritarian countries, TorBox will only connect to the Tor network after answering these questions. If you need to rerun the “First Start-up” script, choose entry 14 in the Update and Maintenance sub-menu<\/a>. The questions are the following:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  1. In highly authoritarian countries, connecting to the Tor network could be seen as suspicious. The default hostname of TorBox is “TorBox<nnn>” ( <nnn> representing the version). When a computer connects to an ISP’s network, it sends a DHCP request that includes the hostname. Because ISPs can see, log and even block hostnames, setting another hostname or using a randomised hostname may be preferable. We recommend randomising the hostname in highly authoritarian countries or if you think that your ISP blocks Tor-related network traffic.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n
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    1. The countermeasure against tightly configured firewalls is a double-edged sword. Internet providers offering open hotspots in public places, hotels, etc. often block ports, which may be necessary for the proper working of Tor. If this is the case, and you don’t need to use Bridges or plan to run an OBFS4 Bridge Relay, countermeasures against tightly configured firewalls can solve the problem by only using ports 80 and 443. We recommend using NO if you plan to use bridges or to run an OBFS4 bridge relay!<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n
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      1. Select from where the Internet is coming from.<\/strong> After choosing a source, TorBox will give you some more information and ask if you want to continue. Answering YES<\/strong> will ask you if you will have a direct connection or if you have to use a captive portal. Open access means that you have already entered a password to access the provided network and don’t have to fill out an additional login\/authentication page. Contrarily, captive portals have additional login pages for which you must register. See here<\/a> for more information on how to pass through a captive portal.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n
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        1. TorBox’s automatic counter actions (TACA) <\/strong>are activated by default. <\/strong>TACA avoids connection downtime to the Tor network and improves user experience, especially on connections with lower bandwidth (for more information, see also here<\/a>).<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n
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          1. TorBox asks if you want to adjust the system time.<\/strong> The date and time have to be synchronised with UTC. If this is not the case, Tor will fail to build circuits. The date and time could be wrong if TorBox cannot connect to the Internet and automatically synchronise the system time during bootup. If you answer yes, TorBox tries to synchronise the system time automatically. If it wasn’t successful, you will be asked to enter the correct date and time (UTC) manually, which you can find under the following URL: https:\/\/time.is\/UTC<\/a> <\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n
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            1. TorBox asks if OBFS4 or Snowflake bridges should be used. If TorBox is used in a highly authoritarian country, this is recommended. If this is not the case, we recommend choosing NO.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n
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              1. After the last question, Tor will be unblocked, and TorBox will connect to the Tor network. If successful, the highlighted message “Bootstrapped 100% (done): Done<\/strong>” will be shown. The log screen can be exited by pressing q<\/strong>, and TorBox will ask you if you saw the “Bootstrapped 100% (done): Done<\/strong>” message.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
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                1. If TorBox was unable to connect the Tor network and you answer is NO<\/strong> (you didn’t see the “Bootstrapped 100% (done): Done<\/strong>” message), TorBox will ask if you want to change the setup regarding the countermeasure against tightly configured firewalls<\/strong> or if you want to switch to the “Countermeasure sub-menu<\/a>” to choose another bridge setup.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

                  If you need to rerun the “First Start-up” script, you can use entry 14 in the Update and Maintenance sub-menu<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                  TorBox on a Cloud: OpenVPN installation before First Start-up Dialogue<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

                  With a TorBox on a Cloud installation, a dialogue to install OpenVPN will pop up before starting the First Start-up Dialogue. We recommend that you choose YES to install the OpenVPN server.<\/strong> If you skip the installation or choose NO, you will not be able to connect your client devices with TorBox on a Cloud. However, you can start the installation later by using the Configuration sub-menu<\/a>. This is also the place in our documentation where we discuss the installation procedure.<\/p>\n\n\n

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                  Problems and questions<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n