Improve docs about feeler connections

1 files changed, 13 insertions, 4 deletions

diff --git a/src/net.h b/src/net.h
index 60c3dc6aef..0baee852ef 100644
--- a/src/net.h
+++ b/src/net.h
@@ -143,10 +143,19 @@ enum class ConnectionType {
     MANUAL,
 
     /**
-     * Feeler connections are short lived connections used to increase the
-     * number of connectable addresses in our AddrMan. Approximately every
-     * FEELER_INTERVAL, we attempt to connect to a random address from the new
-     * table. If successful, we add it to the tried table.
+     * Feeler connections are short-lived connections made to check that a node
+     * is alive. They can be useful for:
+     * - test-before-evict: if one of the peers is considered for eviction from
+     *   our AddrMan because another peer is mapped to the same slot in the tried table,
+     *   evict only if this longer-known peer is offline.
+     * - move node addresses from New to Tried table, so that we have more
+     *   connectable addresses in our AddrMan.
+     * Note that in the literature ("Eclipse Attacks on Bitcoin’s Peer-to-Peer Network")
+     * only the latter feature is referred to as "feeler connections",
+     * although in our codebase feeler connections encompass test-before-evict as well.
+     * We make these connections approximately every FEELER_INTERVAL:
+     * first we resolve previously found collisions if they exist (test-before-evict),
+     * otherwise connect to a node from the new table.
      */
     FEELER,