openwrt-package-darkmoon

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openwrt-package-darkmoon

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rewritten cake-autorate based on https://github.com/lynxthecat/cake-autorate scripts. still in bringup. rewrite in c with UI setting to change

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# darkmoon

A lightweight, CPU-efficient C rewrite of [cake-autorate](https://github.com/lynxthecat/cake-autorate) for OpenWrt. Designed for routers where maximizing CPU efficiency is a priority.

## Background

The original [cake-autorate](https://github.com/lynxthecat/cake-autorate) created by [@lynxthecat](https://github.com/lynxthecat) is a highly effective bash script that dynamically adjusts CAKE bandwidth based on real-time One-Way Delay (OWD) measurements.

While the algorithm is excellent at mitigating bufferbloat, running a complex bash script that continuously spawns new processes and subshells can consume a significant amount of CPU on lower-end routers.

**darkmoon** resolves this by reimplementing the exact same algorithm as a native C binary and OpenWrt procd service. It drastically reduces CPU overhead while maintaining identical adaptive traffic-shaping behavior.

*All credit for the original algorithm, math, and concept goes to [@lynxthecat](https://github.com/lynxthecat) and the contributors of the original repository.*

---

## Features

- **Native C implementation** — no bash scripts, no subshells, minimal CPU footprint
- **Event-driven architecture** — uses `libubox/uloop` to eliminate polling busy-loops
- **Direct CAKE management** — creates and manages IFB + CAKE qdiscs entirely via raw NETLINK_ROUTE, with no dependency on SQM scripts
- **Efficient system I/O** — reads network statistics directly from `/sys/class/net/.../statistics`
- **Asynchronous pinging** — custom ICMP pinger supporting both Echo (type 8) and Timestamp (type 13) modes
- **Per-direction flow isolation** — separate CAKE `flow_mode` settings for DL ingress and UL egress
- **Dynamic reflector health** — automatically monitors and replaces unresponsive ping targets
- **Flash storage safe** — all state data kept in RAM, zero flash writes at runtime
- **LuCI web interface** — fully integrated UI for configuration, service control, and live status

---

## How It Works

The daemon continuously measures latency using ICMP and maintains an asymmetric EWMA baseline per reflector to detect genuine bufferbloat versus normal variance. It classifies network load into four states and adjusts the CAKE shaper rate accordingly:

By default the daemon uses `ping_type 0` (ICMP Echo, RTT/2 as OWD proxy). For more accurate per-direction OWD on asymmetric links such as 5G/LTE, `ping_type 1` (ICMP Timestamp) is recommended where reflectors support it.

---

## Installation

### Prerequisites

```sh
apk update
apk add libubox libuci
```

### From a Release

Download the appropriate `.apk` for your architecture from the Releases page, upload it to your router, and install:

```sh
apk add --allow-untrusted darkmoon_*.apk
```

Enable and start the service:

```sh
/etc/init.d/darkmoon enable
/etc/init.d/darkmoon start
```

### From Source (OpenWrt SDK)

```sh
make package/darkmoon/compile V=s
```

---

## Configuration

The recommended way to configure darkmoon is through the LuCI web interface at **Services → Darkmoon**. Clicking Save & Apply will automatically reload the daemon.

Alternatively, edit the config file directly over SSH:

```sh
vi /etc/config/darkmoon
```

The minimum required options are the interface names and rate limits. Ensure `dl_if` and `ul_if` match your router's actual interfaces — for typical setups, download traffic arrives on an IFB interface and upload on the physical WAN interface.

```
config darkmoon 'primary'
    option enabled                  '1'
    option dl_if                    'ifb4wan'
    option ul_if                    'wan'
    option base_dl_shaper_rate_kbps '50000'
    option base_ul_shaper_rate_kbps '20000'
    option max_dl_shaper_rate_kbps  '100000'
    option max_ul_shaper_rate_kbps  '35000'
```

### CAKE Options

CAKE qdisc options such as `overhead`, `mpu`, `rtt`, `memlimit`, and `wash` are configured separately for DL and UL. Flow isolation mode can also be set independently per direction — for example `dual-dsthost` on ingress and `dual-srchost` on egress, which is the recommended setup for most home routers.

### 5G / LTE Notes

On cellular links the UL scheduling latency is inherently higher and more variable than DL, even at idle, due to the base station grant request cycle. If your idle UL OWD delta appears elevated (5–10ms) with no load, this is normal radio behaviour and not a misconfiguration. Consider:

- Setting `ping_type 1` (ICMP Timestamp) for true per-direction OWD rather than RTT/2
- Slightly raising `alpha_baseline_increase` (e.g. `0.005`) to let the baseline track the natural idle jitter floor of your link

---

## Live Status

The LuCI Overview page displays a live status widget that polls every 2.5 seconds. When the daemon is running it shows:

The daemon writes `/var/run/darkmoon.json` every ~200ms. The file is removed on clean shutdown so the widget immediately reflects stopped state.

---

## Verification and Logging

Confirm the service is running under procd:

```sh
ubus call service list '{"name":"darkmoon"}'
```

Watch the daemon adjust bandwidth in real time:

```sh
logread -f -e darkmoon
```

Inspect the live status JSON directly:

```sh
cat /var/run/darkmoon.json
```

---

## Credits

Original algorithm & concept: [@lynxthecat](https://github.com/lynxthecat) — [cake-autorate](https://github.com/lynxthecat/cake-autorate)

C rewrite & OpenWrt integration: kamikaonashi

## License

This project is released under the MIT License.

The original cake-autorate project is licensed under its own terms. Please see the upstream repository for details.

---

## Screenshots

openwrt-package-darkmoon

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