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A final wrinkle is that even if you can get your bags checked through it may not be possible to issue a boarding pass for all your legs at the airport you start out at. This is getting rarer nowadays -- and can be moot if all the airlines let you check in and get a boarding pass online -- but in some cases you may still need to go to the (airside) transfer desk at the layover point to get your onward boarding pass printed. You won't need to worry about in advance anyway, though.

A final wrinkle is that even if you can get your bags checked through it may not be possible to issue a boarding card for all your legs at the airport you start out at. This is getting rarer nowadays -- and can be moot if the second airline lets you check in and get a boarding pass online -- but in some cases you may still need to go to the (airside) transfer desk at the layover point to get your onward boarding pass printed. You won't need to worry about in advance anyway, though.

On the other hand, if you're making a rare connection at a smallish airport where it is rare for anyone to connect, it mat be that it's simply impossible: The ground operations is not set up to take bags from arriving planes anywhere than to a baggage carousel where you need to pick it up.

On the other hand, if you're making a rare connection at a smallish airport where it is unusual for anyone to connect, it may be that it's simply impossible: The ground operations is not set up to take bags from arriving planes anywhere else than to a baggage carousel where you need to pick it up.

In your particular case: SilkAir is a regional subsidiary of Singapore Airlines, who is in Star Alliance together with Lufthansa. Even though SilkAir is not itself a Star Alliance member, you can rest assured that they interline baggage with their parent's alliance partners at their own main hub.