Whatever happened to intelligence in the applicattion [Was: Re: The Qos PipeDream]

Fri Dec 16 16:04:50 UTC 2005

Thus spake "Fergie" <fergdawg at netzero.net>
> I think you just tossed a red herring into the discussion. :-)
>
> I would suggest that a semi-intelligent playback bufferring scheme
> in the VoIP application, plus a 'semi-lossless' link, would be just
> fine.  ;-)

Any competent VoIP application/device developer will use an adaptive jitter 
buffer.  It's really not that tough, and most apps/devices have them today 
because working products sell better than non-working ones.

My VoIP phone (full disclosure: I work for the vendor) operates just fine at 
home over a DSL line, across four ISPs, through two NATs, and to a gateway 
in Canada.  The voice gets a little choppy when a 10MB powerpoint hits my 
Inbox (sadly, several times per day), but it self-corrects after a couple 
seconds.

> Doesn't anyone really remember the whole smart-v.-stupid network
> analogy? Not meaning to start a flame war here, but trying to stick
> all of the intelligence back into the network is not exactly a win-win
> proposal.

I think you'll get further by arguing that intelligent networks with small 
pipes cost more to maintain than dumb networks with fat pipes.  Less likely 
to induce sleep in your bean-counters.

S

Stephen Sprunk         "God does not play dice."  --Albert Einstein
CCIE #3723         "God is an inveterate gambler, and He throws the
K5SSS        dice at every possible opportunity." --Stephen Hawking 