Author: Olaoluwa Osuntokun 2018-11-06 07:26:06
Published on: 2018-11-06T07:26:06+00:00
The email conversation between Laolu and Fabrice discusses a proposed solution to pending payments on the Lightning Network. Laolu suggests using HORNET during the set-up phase, which allows the sender to get a sense of whether the route is "lively" or not. Additionally, each node can use a private "fee function" that may take into account the level of congestion in their channels, or other factors. This fee schedule need not be communicated to the wider network, only those wishing to route across that link. Another benefit is the ability to receive a protocol-level payment ACK, which may be useful when implementing AMP. The created circuits can actually be re-used across several distinct payments, and each node no longer needs to maintain per-circuit state. In contrast, Fabrice proposes using a "0 satoshi" payment request to check if all nodes on the route are alive and responsive before sending the actual payment. This would provide a faster "proceed/try another route" answer to the sending node using probing with short timeout requirements. The proposed implementation for this solution involves generating a "0 satoshi" payment request along with the real one, and the sender would first try to "pay" the "0 satoshi" request using the route it computed with the actual payment parameters. If the next node in the route has not replied within the timeout period, the current node will immediately send back an error message.
Updated on: 2023-05-20T09:00:06.168286+00:00