Conference azur::mcc

1443.0. "THRUPUT vs % STATS" by JETSAM::WOODCOCK () Wed Sep 04 1991 13:29

Hi there,

It may be very useful if PA were to give THRUPUT statistics as a raw number
in *addition* to % utilization (but % is still needed). A couple of reasons
come to mind as I look a bit into the future. First off there should be a
level of understanding that some LARGE companies may not be able to keep up
with updating the LINE SPEEDS properly enterprise wide. This becomes acute
with different administration boundaries and the security which goes along
with each. I know this shouldn't be the case but it will probably be a 
reality that someone from a corporate office wants to get stats but has to
contact 14 people responsible to properly set line speeds (even though the
corporate office -knows- the speed but doesn't have privs to set it). 

If the raw KBS is provided when LINE SPEED isn't available (rather than 
choking) the net mngr has something to go on without intervention from others.

As for practical applications the above applies but an example may help further.
I get a call from a user who says performance from Littleton to Hong Kong is
suffering. I retrieve the path and begin a full analysis of all routers/circuits
involved. I find that the LINE SPEED isn't set for the routers/circuits in
Brazil, Poland, and China. I'm dead until I find out who is responsible and
get the changes made/set (this could take days to say the least). But if I
can get the KBS and I have a reasonable idea of the speeds involved I can cut
to the real chase, solve the problem, become a hero, get a promotion/raise, and
live happily ever after :-). Let's automate, MCC develops an application to
determine paths and this output is fed into another module (or possible the 
same) which automatically monitors all the links involved for a set time and
produces a report using PA. MCC becomes a hero, engineers become hero's, get
promo's, etc, etc.

A second future is the advent of FastPacket and bandwidth on demand. In this
case LINE SPEED can't be set because it fluctuates. What to do for the mngr
at the protocol level? KBS at the protocol level is your only option. 

This simple addition could open doors down the road even though it looks like
a step backwards, and it can make PA more robust.

just a thought,
brad...

Your suggestion is well taken.