Warnet + Increase Tx Relay Rate

The simulation was part of a Warnet scenario, focusing on the relay and confirmation of Bitcoin transactions. Initially, each node received a balance of 50 BTC through mining, which was then split into multiple taproot outputs. The simulation did not represent this initial setup in its charts, instead highlighting activity after normal block production rates were established.

The author of the email implemented a block timing function to simulate realistic conditions, assuming an exponential distribution with an average time of 600 seconds between blocks. Despite running the simulation under different conditions—with and without a pending update (PR)—the author observed no significant performance differences, questioning the effectiveness of the PR at moderate transaction rates. The simulation further detailed metrics such as transaction reconstruction requests, mempool size, and outbound connections, noting that the last metric was less relevant for this particular test.

Some uncertainties were expressed regarding the impact of various factors on the simulation's results. Questions arose about how the relay rate would influence the number of transactions requested and the expected churn in the mempool, considering variable transaction fees. Additionally, the author speculated on the potential effects of incorporating Replace-by-Fee (RBF), Child Pays for Parent (CPFP), and unconfirmed transaction chains into the simulation.

Lastly, the author suggested transitioning the simulations to a Kubernetes-based environment to potentially achieve greater stability and handle higher transaction rates, especially beyond the 100-node threshold. The current single-machine setup was noted to have limitations regarding network and I/O capabilities.