[e2e] traffic engineering considered harmful

[Jon Crowcroft]

In message <200106122142.VAA17210 at gra.isi.edu>, Bob Braden typed:

 >>
 >>  *> 
 >>  *>    I'll steal this topic as a chance for some blatant self-promotion:
 >>  *> 
 >>  *>    Resilient Overlay Networks:    http://nms.lcs.mit.edu/ron/
 >>  *> 
 >>  *>    Take a small collection of hosts around the 'Net.  They
 >>  *> can see different paths in and out of various ASs.  Have them
 >>  *> measure the paths between each other, and if they can establish
 >>  *> a better route by sending their packets indirectly through another
 >>  *> member of the overlay, do so.
 >>  *> 
 >>  *>    It's a rough approximation of the ideal that you're alluding to
 >>  *> in your message, since it has the obvious downsides of needing to
 >>  *> go all the way to the edge and then back in, and it's limited in its
 >>  *> view of the available paths, but it's one way to start doing some
 >>  *> of the things you're looking at.  Works pretty well, too, especially
 >>  *> in the face of a few egregiously bad links.
 >>  *> 
 >>  *>    -Dave
 >>  *> 
 >>  
 >>Why isn't this the Tragedy of the Commons waiting to happen?

because its a MARKET which is the exact opposite.
 

 cheers

   jon