SYNTH TREE

📖 WHAT YOU'RE SEEING

This is a live simulation of the SYNTH TREE discovery protocol - a self-organizing network system. The colored dots represent network nodes that automatically arrange themselves into an efficient hierarchy based on network latency and capacity limits. Watch as nodes join, discover each other, and form connections through animated packet exchanges. You can add new nodes, trigger discovery rounds, and observe how the network adapts to changes and failures in real-time.

Try it: Click "SPAWN NODE" to add a new node and watch it find its place in the network, or hit "RUN DISCOVERY ROUND" to see optimization traffic in action! You can also click any non-mainframe node to kill it and witness the network's self-healing as orphaned nodes automatically reconnect.

🏗️ TOPOLOGY vs DATA FLOW

The tree connections you see represent the discovery topology, not data transmission paths. Nodes use this hierarchy purely for service discovery - to learn who exists in the network. Once discovered, data flows directly between any two nodes via standard internet routing, regardless of tree position.

Example: A Terminal in Tokyo can send data directly to a Terminal in London, even though they're under different Relays. The tree just told them about each other's existence.

🎯 PROTOCOL PURPOSE

SYNTH TREE solves the peer discovery problem for distributed applications. Instead of hardcoding server lists or requiring external coordination, nodes automatically:

• Find the optimal attachment point based on network latency
• Learn about all other nodes in the network
• Self-organize into efficient geographic clusters
• Adapt when nodes join, leave, or fail

🔮 DISCOVERY ROUNDS

Discovery rounds are periodic optimization cycles where nodes probe the network for better positions. Each round involves:

1. Purple packets - Topology requests to mainframes
2. Pink packets - Network topology responses
3. Yellow packets - Migration requests to better parents
4. Orange packets - Attachment confirmations

This creates a self-optimizing network that continuously improves its structure.

📡 NETWORK TRAFFIC TYPES

The animated data packets represent control plane traffic for network coordination, not user data transmission.

🌍 REAL-WORLD APPLICATION

In production, this protocol enables applications like REPRAM to deploy globally without complex configuration. Nodes automatically discover each other, form efficient clusters, and maintain network health - perfect for distributed databases, CDNs, or any system requiring dynamic peer discovery.