Illustrated TCP/IP Illustrated TCP/IP
by Matthew G. Naugle
Wiley Computer Publishing, John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
ISBN: 0471196568   Pub Date: 11/01/98  

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Chapter 339
Conclusion

Individual user demands for better IP service are driving the need for some type of bandwidth reservation. Most of us continue to use the phone as the standard to compare to. The Internet continues to delivery any type of data based on a first-come-first-served basis. The Internet routers still drop an extraordinary amount of packets over the Internet, causing retransmissions. More applications are running over the Internet every day. Multimedia applications are the ones that require QoS only because the users demand it. We have expected it due to the telephone and cable TV networks. RSVP will allow for this to exist, but it will remain only in pockets of networks and not throughout the Internet. RSVP will place great demands on the routers. Today’s routers have yet to prove they can handle anything more than simple data forwarding, and they are not doing that very well. Faster routers are coming onto the market and will help alleviate the problem.

The Internet is becoming channelized, which means that there will be streams of data running across the Internet that a user can “tune in to.” The point that I am trying to make here is that QoS is made up of many factors, and RSVP is simply one of the factors. Do not think that by applying RSVP, all your troubles will disappear. You must continue to apply the other factors as well, such as compression, filters, protocol prioritization, network design, OSPF, IP address summaries, and so forth. One more thing: Multimedia really requires (for best operation) that multicast be enabled. Only recently have ISPs started to multicast enable their networks (even with the entire Internet being nonmulticast). Streaming real-time data across the Internet is not very efficient.

Conclusion

•  RSVP is one area addressing QoS issues that are driving forces for future networking requirements:
•  Web-based everything—wave of the future
•  Real-time video apps and protocol availability
•  Integration of voice and data capabilities, availability of multimedia technology, multicast networks—all only increases the demand for QoS features
•  Specifications such as RSVP will only aid in bridging the gap between Layer 2 and Layer 3 QoS capabilities.
•  View www.isi.edu/rsvp.

Lastly, you should be aware that RSVP is not an attempt to recover lost ground from ATM as some Ethernet zealots would have you believe. ATM and other software and hardware technologies will continue to integrate. RSVP is the first attempt to provide for some type of Quality of Service based on a user-by-user need.

The RSVP homepage can be found at: www.isi.edu/rsvp


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