[e2e] Bursty traffic and TCP flows (was: TOEs and related issues)

[Noel Chiappa]

    > From: Marko Zec <zec at tel.fer.hr>

    >> The thread so far has made numerous assumptions (e.g. small packets
    >> consume as much buffer space as big packets in real routers) about how
    >> modern switches/routers are designed.

    > All of the IBM's IP routers at that time were built in such a silly way
    > that their buffers were measured / limited in terms of number of
    > packets. I guess there are still some silly MIT people on this list who
    > designed precisely those IBM (ex. Proteon) routers, so perhaps we could
    > hear a comment or two on those silly design decisions from the first
    > hand. 

Well, he did say "modern"! :-P

The design decisions you make when you're writing a router in software with
only a general-purpose processor tend to be different from the ones you make
when you're doing one with lots of hardware support.

	Noel