"Pete Zaitcev" wrote in message
news
This depends on how big the data piece is relative to the
starting handshake. Consider that TCP start-up involves
so-called 3-way handshake, and that many protocols have
a setup phase when client and server exchange messages
strictly in simplex, before bulk data transmission can commence.

Regardless, that still only affects the initial delay in response. Even if
the delay were 10 seconds (which it's almost never going to be), that's in
the same ballpark as the delay some servers have just getting around to
servicing a client. It's just not a big deal.

[...] So, your downlink
is virtually rain proof. The bad news is that the same cannot
be said about your uplink.

Hmmm...okay, I see. I wasn't aware that they didn't provide a high enough
power transmitter to deal with weather.

Solstices only knock communication off for several minutes a day,
when the Sun is directly behind the satellite. It is a well known
effect. I used to depend on an old Soviet satellite Raduga-7
for connectivity, and it was true back then.

Several minutes? I guess I'd call that insignificant. That's what, 10
minutes of downtime per year? Big deal. I have to deal with that kind of
downtime with my wired DSL access.

Pete