Internet Backbone Index

Fri Jun 27 19:54:11 UTC 1997

Justin writes:
> ObAboutTopic:  This is possibly the most flawed study on the planet.
> Remind me to get a fast web server.  (And to think, we were going to put
> our web server in our office, behind a T-1, instead of in real estate near
> where the real bandwidth is that could be used for customers.).  

There are many studies more flawed. Consider some of the studies that
the Tobacco Institute has released over the years about the affects of
smoking.

Concerning Internet performance, there have always been a variety of ways
of measuring it. It all depends on what you are really trying to measure.
The Keynote study is attempting to measure something to which the average 
Internet user (not engineers) can relate.  However, There are also clearly 
the possibility of artifacts in the data because of the testing machine's 
TCP stack or other issues (Vern Paxson has covered these issues at NANOG 
and IETF meetings over the last few years). Checking their web site, their 
software appears to run on top of the TCP stacks of many systems, so the 
known artifacts of some of these platforms could be an issue.

-- 
Stan   | Academ Consulting Services        |internet: sob at academ.com
Olan   | For more info on academ, see this |uucp: {mcsun|amdahl}!academ!sob
Barber | URL- http://www.academ.com/academ |Opinions expressed are only mine.