Abstract: A link utilization control mechanism for a demand assignment satellite communication network employs a modified point-to-point communications protocol (X.25) in order to simulate point-to-point communication ports and thereby interface what is effectively a multidrop network with point-to-point landlink communication resources. Through an acknowledgement reservation mechanism the return link channel is subdivided into interleaved data and (preassigned) acknowledgement time slots, in order to substantially obviate overhead and throughput penalties encountered in the use of large data packets to transmit reduced size acknowledgement messages. In addition, the normal contention mode of operation of the return link is augmented with a data time slot reservation mechanism through which, during periods of increased message input density at a remote station, transmission throughput is facilitated, so that congestion at the remote station is reduced.

Abstract: A link utilization control mechanism for a demand assignment satellite communication network employs a modified point-to-point communications protocol (X.25) in order to simulate point-to-point communication ports and thereby interface what is effectively a multidrop network with point-to-point landlink communication resources. Through an acknowledgement reservation mecahsnism the return link channel is subdivided into interleaved data and (preassigned) acknowledgement time slots, in order to substantially obviate ovrhead and throughput penalties encountered in the use of large data packets to transmit reduced size acknowledgement messages. In addition, the normal contention mode of operation of the return link is augmented with a data time slot reservation mechanism through which, during periods of increased message input density at a remote station, transmission throughput is facilitated, so that congestion at the remote station is reduced.