[Starlink] Optimized for Speedtest?

Nathan Owens nathan at nathan.io
Wed Mar 16 09:40:58 EDT 2022


If you just UDP iperf the crap out of it, the bandwidth available is pretty
good:

[ ID] Interval           Transfer     Bitrate         Jitter    Lost/Total
Datagrams
[  5]   0.00-1.00   sec  25.7 MBytes   216 Mbits/sec  0.026 ms  10078/28719
(35%)
[  5]   1.00-2.00   sec  36.0 MBytes   302 Mbits/sec  0.031 ms  4178/30262
(14%)
[  5]   2.00-3.00   sec  39.0 MBytes   327 Mbits/sec  0.053 ms  1961/30231
(6.5%)
[  5]   3.00-4.00   sec  38.9 MBytes   326 Mbits/sec  0.059 ms  1787/29937
(6%)
[  5]   4.00-5.00   sec  39.1 MBytes   328 Mbits/sec  0.026 ms  2166/30447
(7.1%)
[  5]   5.00-6.00   sec  34.4 MBytes   289 Mbits/sec  0.030 ms  5274/30180
(17%)
[  5]   6.00-7.00   sec  34.9 MBytes   293 Mbits/sec  0.066 ms  4982/30286
(16%)
[  5]   7.00-8.00   sec  37.6 MBytes   316 Mbits/sec  0.136 ms  2915/30158
(9.7%)
[  5]   8.00-9.00   sec  39.0 MBytes   327 Mbits/sec  0.040 ms  2004/30250
(6.6%)
[  5]   9.00-10.00  sec  39.0 MBytes   327 Mbits/sec  0.055 ms  1977/30240
(6.5%)
[  5]  10.00-11.00  sec  38.2 MBytes   320 Mbits/sec  0.029 ms  2539/30203
(8.4%)
[  5]  11.00-12.00  sec  35.7 MBytes   299 Mbits/sec  0.070 ms  4349/30177
(14%)
[  5]  12.00-13.00  sec  32.9 MBytes   276 Mbits/sec  0.028 ms  6336/30169
(21%)
[  5]  13.00-14.00  sec  36.1 MBytes   303 Mbits/sec  0.027 ms  4110/30271
(14%)
[  5]  14.00-15.00  sec  22.2 MBytes   186 Mbits/sec  0.033 ms  14245/30298
(47%)
[  5]  15.00-16.00  sec  27.1 MBytes   227 Mbits/sec  0.066 ms  10529/30164
(35%)
[  5]  16.00-17.00  sec  33.4 MBytes   280 Mbits/sec  0.057 ms  5989/30184
(20%)
[  5]  17.00-18.00  sec  33.7 MBytes   283 Mbits/sec  0.046 ms  5804/30220
(19%)
[  5]  18.00-19.00  sec  24.7 MBytes   207 Mbits/sec  0.032 ms  12323/30198
(41%)
[  5]  19.00-20.00  sec  30.6 MBytes   257 Mbits/sec  0.044 ms  8129/30292
(27%)
[  5]  20.00-21.00  sec  27.9 MBytes   234 Mbits/sec  0.030 ms  9905/30140
(33%)
[  5]  21.00-22.00  sec  19.5 MBytes   164 Mbits/sec  0.059 ms  16089/30220
(53%)
[  5]  22.00-23.00  sec  19.4 MBytes   163 Mbits/sec  0.069 ms  16147/30211
(53%)
[  5]  23.00-24.00  sec  20.5 MBytes   172 Mbits/sec  0.035 ms  15355/30234
(51%)
[  5]  24.00-25.00  sec  25.6 MBytes   215 Mbits/sec  0.030 ms  11634/30187
(39%)
[  5]  25.00-26.00  sec  34.1 MBytes   286 Mbits/sec  0.061 ms  5681/30346
(19%)
[  5]  26.00-27.00  sec  29.4 MBytes   247 Mbits/sec  0.037 ms  8787/30081
(29%)
[  5]  27.00-28.00  sec  23.3 MBytes   196 Mbits/sec  0.056 ms  13361/30257
(44%)
[  5]  28.00-29.00  sec  31.0 MBytes   260 Mbits/sec  0.028 ms  7750/30206
(26%)
[  5]  29.00-30.00  sec  20.4 MBytes   171 Mbits/sec  0.033 ms  15422/30186
(51%)
[  5]  30.00-31.00  sec  30.9 MBytes   259 Mbits/sec  0.039 ms  7761/30110
(26%)
[  5]  31.00-32.00  sec  31.4 MBytes   263 Mbits/sec  0.055 ms  7641/30357
(25%)
[  5]  32.00-33.00  sec  31.9 MBytes   268 Mbits/sec  0.062 ms  7069/30180
(23%)
[  5]  33.00-34.00  sec  29.8 MBytes   250 Mbits/sec  0.028 ms  8630/30206
(29%)
[  5]  34.00-35.00  sec  32.7 MBytes   274 Mbits/sec  0.056 ms  6638/30283
(22%)
[  5]  35.00-36.00  sec  29.5 MBytes   247 Mbits/sec  0.066 ms  8800/30129
(29%)
[  5]  36.00-37.00  sec  25.9 MBytes   217 Mbits/sec  0.038 ms  11501/30247
(38%)
[  5]  37.00-38.00  sec  26.2 MBytes   220 Mbits/sec  0.050 ms  10978/29969
(37%)
[  5]  38.00-39.00  sec  28.0 MBytes   235 Mbits/sec  0.038 ms  10208/30490
(33%)
[  5]  39.00-40.00  sec  25.2 MBytes   211 Mbits/sec  0.109 ms  11942/30171
(40%)
[  5]  40.00-41.00  sec  24.7 MBytes   208 Mbits/sec  0.022 ms  12360/30279
(41%)
[  5]  41.00-42.00  sec  24.1 MBytes   202 Mbits/sec  0.041 ms  12587/30040
(42%)
[  5]  42.00-43.00  sec  26.0 MBytes   218 Mbits/sec  0.032 ms  11635/30444
(38%)
[  5]  43.00-44.00  sec  26.0 MBytes   218 Mbits/sec  0.063 ms  11318/30153
(38%)
[  5]  44.00-45.00  sec  23.3 MBytes   196 Mbits/sec  0.028 ms  13279/30183
(44%)
[  5]  45.00-46.00  sec  34.8 MBytes   292 Mbits/sec  0.046 ms  5008/30227
(17%)
[  5]  46.00-47.00  sec  35.2 MBytes   295 Mbits/sec  0.041 ms  4838/30334
(16%)
[  5]  47.00-48.00  sec  29.1 MBytes   244 Mbits/sec  0.068 ms  9052/30147
(30%)
[  5]  48.00-49.00  sec  26.0 MBytes   218 Mbits/sec  0.040 ms  11421/30222
(38%)
[  5]  49.00-50.00  sec  25.4 MBytes   213 Mbits/sec  0.049 ms  11798/30207
(39%)
[  5]  50.00-51.00  sec  27.3 MBytes   229 Mbits/sec  0.057 ms  10412/30217
(34%)
[  5]  51.00-52.00  sec  24.9 MBytes   209 Mbits/sec  0.030 ms  12179/30233
(40%)
[  5]  52.00-53.00  sec  26.5 MBytes   222 Mbits/sec  0.045 ms  11067/30259
(37%)
[  5]  53.00-54.00  sec  26.5 MBytes   223 Mbits/sec  0.025 ms  10985/30200
(36%)
[  5]  54.00-55.00  sec  25.3 MBytes   212 Mbits/sec  0.099 ms  11861/30192
(39%)
[  5]  55.00-56.00  sec  29.7 MBytes   249 Mbits/sec  0.034 ms  8714/30235
(29%)
[  5]  56.00-57.00  sec  36.1 MBytes   303 Mbits/sec  0.053 ms  4051/30224
(13%)
[  5]  57.00-58.00  sec  29.8 MBytes   250 Mbits/sec  0.048 ms  8622/30187
(29%)
[  5]  58.00-59.00  sec  31.6 MBytes   265 Mbits/sec  0.029 ms  7481/30353
(25%)
[  5]  59.00-60.00  sec  14.2 MBytes   119 Mbits/sec  0.040 ms  19884/30175
(66%)
[  5]  60.00-61.00  sec  33.3 MBytes   279 Mbits/sec  0.034 ms  6223/30336
(21%)
[  5]  61.00-62.00  sec  32.7 MBytes   274 Mbits/sec  0.034 ms  6490/30157
(22%)
[  5]  62.00-63.00  sec  33.3 MBytes   279 Mbits/sec  0.034 ms  6099/30217
(20%)
[  5]  63.00-64.00  sec  31.4 MBytes   264 Mbits/sec  0.024 ms  7409/30162
(25%)
[  5]  64.00-65.00  sec  34.3 MBytes   288 Mbits/sec  0.031 ms  5504/30328
(18%)
[  5]  65.00-66.00  sec  34.4 MBytes   288 Mbits/sec  0.077 ms  5316/30216
(18%)
[  5]  66.00-67.00  sec  34.2 MBytes   287 Mbits/sec  0.042 ms  5424/30167
(18%)
[  5]  67.00-68.00  sec  29.4 MBytes   247 Mbits/sec  0.034 ms  8900/30223
(29%)
[  5]  68.00-69.00  sec  33.4 MBytes   280 Mbits/sec  0.050 ms  6052/30203
(20%)
[  5]  69.00-70.00  sec  34.4 MBytes   289 Mbits/sec  0.031 ms  5312/30259
(18%)
[  5]  70.00-71.00  sec  34.4 MBytes   288 Mbits/sec  0.049 ms  5308/30198
(18%)
[  5]  71.00-72.00  sec  30.8 MBytes   259 Mbits/sec  0.031 ms  7835/30169
(26%)
[  5]  72.00-73.00  sec  33.9 MBytes   284 Mbits/sec  0.063 ms  5730/30254
(19%)
[  5]  73.00-74.00  sec  33.4 MBytes   280 Mbits/sec  0.045 ms  6012/30226
(20%)
[  5]  74.00-75.00  sec  20.0 MBytes   168 Mbits/sec  0.039 ms  15586/30062
(52%)
[  5]  75.00-75.51  sec  10.2 MBytes   166 Mbits/sec  0.057 ms  8141/15495
(53%)

On Tue, Mar 15, 2022 at 3:47 PM Nathan Owens <nathan at nathan.io> wrote:

> Here’s what it looks like for a sustained download:
> https://i.redd.it/odo31ofu4t971.png
> This was from a while ago, most of those latency spikes have been
> dampened.
>
> On Tue, Mar 15, 2022 at 3:39 PM Dave Taht <dave.taht at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> On Tue, Mar 15, 2022 at 5:09 PM Daniel AJ Sokolov <daniel at falco.ca>
>> wrote:
>> >
>> > Hello,
>> >
>> >  From this list I have learned that Starlink is optimized to shine in
>> > tests with speedtest.net and similar sites, but that transmission rates
>> > drop quickly after about 15 seconds.
>>
>> That is not strictly true. The trend is a low rate for the initial
>> 15s, then a boost, then variable. It happens that speedtest reports
>> the *last* result in the typically 20s it runs,
>> so by that light is starlink is "optimized for speedtest". Much of the
>> internet is "optimized for speedtest", tons of services basically blow
>> up classic tcp congestion controls at T+21s.
>>
>> Attached are two example flent test runs, a rrul test from one project
>> member's dishy, and a tcp_nup test from anothers.
>>
>> For reference also attached is how a present day WISP 60Ghz radio
>> functions, one which has FQ and AQM, with consistent bandwidth, and
>> only ~5ms latency swings. Ideally the latency on starlink would not go
>> over 10ms their baseline ~40ms latency, under these loads.
>>
>> Comparing the later two tests you can see the inversions between
>> bandwidth and latency that come from the fixed length fifos starlink
>> uses at any of the roughly 3
>> speed settings we currently see.
>>
>> PS - most web pages cannot use more than 25MBit in the 3s they typically
>> take.
>>
>> > How do they do that, technically?
>>
>> Allocate bandwidth? Unknown. Ever 15s seems silly. Not modifying queue
>> length and/not using a smarter queuing algo like fq_codel or cake when
>> they do change the bandwidth allocation is the simple flaw in their
>> design I keep hoping they'll fix.
>>
>> >
>> > Is that a result of Bufferbloat?
>>
>> Yes. The rrul test is often illustrative of the problem on how slowly
>> the internet operates during an upload clogging up the queue, or vice
>> versa. Most ISPs do some sort of ack filtering or prioritization to
>> make uploads interfere less with downloads, or use AQM, fq or a
>> combination of both.
>>
>> > Is that a a specific code in the modem
>> > to cheat, like some car manufacturers cheated on emissions tests?
>>
>> I hope not. No, they do have limited capacity, do have to change sats,
>> do need to allocate bandwidth sanely. AND buffering.
>>
>> > Is
>> > that something done in the satellites who shift capacity from other
>> > users to those users who initiate downloads? Is that done on the
>> backhaul?
>>
>> Wish we knew. In my ideal world they would supply a statistic that a
>> sch_cake could take and vary the rate/buffering based on that on the
>> home router, or just do it more right
>> in the dishy and head ends with cake + BQL.
>>
>> >
>> > Thank you
>> > Daniel
>> > _______________________________________________
>> > Starlink mailing list
>> > Starlink at lists.bufferbloat.net
>> > https://lists.bufferbloat.net/listinfo/starlink
>>
>>
>>
>> --
>> I tried to build a better future, a few times:
>> https://wayforward.archive.org/?site=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.icei.org
>>
>> Dave Täht CEO, TekLibre, LLC
>> _______________________________________________
>> Starlink mailing list
>> Starlink at lists.bufferbloat.net
>> https://lists.bufferbloat.net/listinfo/starlink
>>
>
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