[Starlink] dynamically adjusting cake to starlink

[Michael Richardson]

welcome! So happy to have you.

Mike Puchol <mike at starlink.sx> wrote:
    > As for the topic at hand, I understand the concept - in essence, if we
    > can find what the Dishy - satellite - gateway triumvirate is doing in
    > terms of capacity and buffering, we can apply that information into our
    > own router’s buffer/queue strategy. I have taken a quick look at the
    > document, and there is one assumption that is wrong, AFAIK, which is
    > that the satellites are “bent pipes” - they actually process packets,
    > which means they are an active component of buffering and queuing in
    > the path (for optical links to work, satellites would necessarily have
    > to process packets).

So, when we say "bent pipe", we don't mean that literally. (I know that it
was literally true at some point).  We don't mean to imply that the satellite
does not reconstruct the binary content of the packet from the baud's of
symbols.

What we primarily mean is that stuff goes in one side *ALL* comes out the
other side, and that the satellite does not *at this time*, make nexthop
decisions based upon (IP) packet content.  Of course there are some kind of
identifier to tell the satellite what end-user station to send data to in the
direction towards the user.

(Also, we talk about uplink/downlink from the point of view of the the end
user station.  But, are there better terms from the satellite's point of
view to distinguish traffic to/from the end user?)

It is my understanding that at some point, traffic between (end-user)
stations will be possible via multiple satellite hops, and without a trip to
the ground to a routing decision.  But that isn't happening right now.

--
]               Never tell me the odds!                 | ipv6 mesh networks [
]   Michael Richardson, Sandelman Software Works        |    IoT architect   [
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