[Lightning-dev] `htlc_maximum_msat` as a valve for flow control on the Lightning Network

René Pickhardt r.pickhardt at googlemail.com
Thu Sep 22 06:40:30 UTC 2022


Good morning fellow Lightning Developers,

I am pleased to share my most recent research results [1] with you. They
may (if at all) only have a small impact on protocol development /
specification but are actually mainly of concern to node operators and
LSPs. I still thought they may be relevant for the list.

While trying to estimate the expected liquidity distribution in depleted
channels due to drain via Markov Models I realized that we can exploit the
`htlc_maxium_msat` setting to act as a control valve and regulate the
"pressure" coming from the drain and mitigate the depletion of channels.
Such ideas are btw not novel at all and heavily used in fluid networks [2].
Thus it seems very natural that we do the same on the Lightning Network.

In the article we show within a theoretic model how expected payment
failure rates per channel may drop significantly by up to an order of
magnitude if channels set up proper asymmetric `htlc_maximum_msat` pairs.

We furthermore provide in our iPython notebook [3] two experimental
algorithmic ideas with which node operators can find decent
`htlc_maximum_msat` values in a greedy fashion. One of the algorithms does
not even require to know the drain or payment size distribution or build
the Markov model but just looks at the liquidity distribution in the
channel at the last x routing attempts and adjusts the `htlc_maximum_msat`
value if the distribution is to far away from a uniform distribution.

Looking forwards for your thoughts and feedback.

with kind regards Rene


[1]:
https://blog.bitmex.com/the-power-of-htlc_maximum_msat-as-a-control-valve-for-better-flow-control-improved-reliability-and-lower-expected-payment-failure-rates-on-the-lightning-network/
[2]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Control_valve
[3]:
https://github.com/lnresearch/Flow-Control-on-Lightning-Network-Channels-with-Drain-via-Control-Valves/blob/main/htlc_maximum_msat%20as%20a%20valve%20for%20flow%20control%20on%20the%20Lightnig%20network.ipynb

-- 
https://ln.rene-pickhardt.de
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