Scalable network overhead for contested environments

A system comprising:

• communication hardware;
• one or more processors coupled to the communication hardware;
• and
• one or more computer-readable media having stored thereon instructions that are executable by the one or more processors to configure the system to send network data, including instructions that are executable to configure the system to perform at least the following:
• transmit data, using the communication hardware on a communication link in an environment, wherein a network control overhead portion of the data is allocated to network control overhead data packets for controlling how data is transmitted on the communication link, and a user data portion of the data is allocated to user data packets for transmitting data between users of nodes on the communication link, wherein each of the overhead data packets are transmitted independent of each of the user data packets;
• identify a change in data capacity of the communication link;
• as a result, cause a change in the network control overhead portion of the data, changing at least one of frequency of network control overhead data packets or size of network control overhead data packets to attempt to maintain a predetermined proportion factor for the network control overhead portion as compared to the user data portion;
• and
• transmit the network control overhead portion of the data according to the change.

A physical computer-readable storage media having stored thereon instructions that are executable by one or more processors to configure a computer system to send network data, including instructions that are executable to configure the computer system to perform at least the following:

• transmit data, using the communication hardware on a communication link, in an environment, wherein a network control overhead portion of the data is allocated to network control overhead data packets for controlling how data is transmitted on the communication link, and a user data portion of the data is allocated to user data packets for transmitting data between users of nodes on the communication link, wherein each of the overhead data packets are transmitted independent of each of the user data packets;
• identify a change in data capacity of the communication link;
• as a result, cause a change in the network control overhead portion of the data, changing at least one of frequency of network control overhead data packets or size of network control overhead data packets to attempt to maintain a predetermined proportion factor for the network control overhead portion as compared to the user data portion;
• and
• transmit the network control overhead portion of the data according to the change.