Characterizing Changes in Self-Similarity Between Edge and Core Network Traffic

Network traffic was first determined to be self-similar through the analysis of core Ethernet traces and has since been shown to demonstrate this characteristic under various connection protocols. However, the variation in self-similarity of network traffic due to changing connection protocol (e.g. WiFi to Ethernet) has not been explored, nor has it been shown how self-similarity behaves as data from different sources aggregates physically from the edge to a network’s core. We establish that the increased variability inherent to wireless communications increases self-similarity when measured at the edge due to the conditions of the transmission medium and the protocols in place for wired and wireless connections. Furthermore, once aggregated on a wired link, the stability of wired protocols is shown to have the most significant impact on the estimated self-similarity, and the core traffic is less bursty.