Re: VCC cost models

[Andrew Smith <[e-mail]>]

> From [e-mail] Wed May  1 09:37:36 1996
> Date: Wed, 01 May 1996 12:25:12 -0400
> From: "Eric W. Gray" <[e-mail]>
> Organization: Cabletron Systems, Inc.
> To: Grenville Armitage <[e-mail]>
> Cc: [e-mail]
> Subject: Re: VCC cost models .... (was Re: Limits on SVCCs) 

Eric,

> What about those cases where ATM attachment point is an edge device?  Do you
> think it's a good idea to introduce user-feedback loop complexity between the
> edge device and the non-ATM host(s) it represents?  Would you propose that a
> pop-up window should appear on a network manager's work-station in such cases?

I think that edge devices are not relevant in the (big-I) Internet scenario.

In the campus environment, the cost model is less important and would not need 
user feedback. Policy enforced by the routing entities should be the right approach 
here as they have the best idea of the current resource state (i.e. relative
cost of VCCs vs. hop-by-hop). 

But this is the ROLC list so I guess we should focus on big-I, not campus: I'll
take my anti-edge-device crusade elsewhere :-)

> Do you imagine that any user wants to be bothered with a pop-up window (or
> other "confirmation" query) for every potential shortcut connection?
> 
> My point was that the right place to make the decision to allow for a short-
> cut is most often in the network (not the host).  A very likely approach to
> doing this is through policy decisions made by network nodes (whether these
> are switches, routers or NHSs) and - for those instances where dialogue with
> a user is desirable - the policy may be to seek confirmation from the user.

In the big-I Internet, I'm not sure that a policy-based decision is good enough.
That's what makes me sceptical about the utility of short-cut VCCs in the 
Internet.


Andrew


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