Space Data Protocols — Lesson 3

This lesson covers the intricacies of space data protocols, focusing on the modification of TCP for space systems. It delves into the reasons for packet loss in space systems, such as corruption, link outage, and congestion, and how these issues are identified and handled. The lesson also discusses the corruption-induced loss and how it's managed through the link layer. It further explains the concept of header compression and selective negative acknowledgment (SNACK) in satellite-based TCP. The lesson concludes with an overview of the impact of the physical layer on higher layers and the mitigation techniques currently in use.

Video Highlights

00:18 - Corruption induced loss and how it is handled
03:55 - Link outage and how it is handled
07:16 - Congestion induced loss
11:35 - Asymmetric channels
12:42 - Limited link capacity
14:08 - TCP header compression and selective negative acknowledgment techniques
20:40 - Other techniques used in communication and references

Key Takeaways

- Packet loss in space systems can occur due to corruption, link outage, and congestion.
- The onset of corruption is identified by the link layer, which passes on the information to the higher layer.
- The TCP for space systems uses techniques like header compression and selective negative acknowledgment (SNACK) to improve performance.
- The TCP Vegas variation of the slow start algorithm is used in the space environment.