The cost of quality in Internet-style networks
Dutta-Roy, A.
Spectrum, IEEE
Volume 37, Issue 9, Sep 2000 Page(s):57 - 62
Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/6.866285
Summary:In broad terms, the quality of service (QoS) of a wide-area
network is a measure: of how well it does its job-how quickly and
reliably it transfers various kinds of data, including digitized voice
and video traffic, from source to destination. With the advent of packet
switching and the proliferation of many kinds of communications traffic
(time-sensitive financial transactions, still images, large data files,
voice, video, and so on), there are more than one set of criteria to
satisfy. The the data rate needed for satisfactory voice communication
may take an intolerable time to transfer high-resolution images.
Conversely, the degree of network latency acceptable in transferring
some files may not be adequate for real-time voice. So QoS has become a
hot topic, and the contracts that specify it, called service level
agreements (SLAs), are becoming more and more common, at least between
service providers and their largest customers. As incumbent providers of
telecommunications service are increasingly being challenged by
competitive carriers, QoS has become a convenient marketing tool for
both. The ability truly to deliver quality of service will separate the
winner from the losers in the packet-switched future. The paper defines
QoS, its priorities, and improvement
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