Inadequacy of Traditional Design
Forces making the traditional design approach less appropriate for many of today’s networks:
- Rapidly changing technology of computers, networking devices and the circuits
- More powerful devices, much faster circuits
- Rapidly growing network traffic
- Difficulty of estimating demand and growth
- Shorter planning periods (3 years)
- Dramatic change in the balance of costs
- Before: Equipment; now: staff
- Design goal: Minimize the staff time to operate (not the hardware costs)
- E.g., use similar standardized equipment for the ease of management