TECHNICAL
These are the roots of rhythm And the roots of rhythm remain An introductory model – “Just deliver the bits.” As an opening statement, and I observe here, moved from the analogue (circuit switched) domain to the digital (packet switched) domain. In both cases “networks” are a mechanism for transferring signals – see Figure 1. and illustrates one working model. Figure 1. is a simplified model and illustrates signal transfer in one direction only. For future analysis purposes, I will use “traffic” as a verb for the “transfer” of bits within a network and will introduce the concept of “flow.”
the use of the term Internet “traffic” i.e., is there an agreed engineering definition coupled with an associated measurement metric? As a starting statement therefore and based on my ongoing research, I postulate that there is no agreed definition of the term Internet/internet traffic nor any agreed measurement metric. This is not some statement plucked out of the air, as I have researched numerous sources for any such definition, namely the IEEE, IET, ACM, ETSI, ITU, the Internet Society (IETF), and various “classic ” texts to name a few. Maybe Humpty Dumpty’s dictum is correct? It could be argued that this piece of work is not necessary (see examples that follow), but as an engineer, I struggle when loose and ill-defined metrics are being used to support an argument – hopefully, this piece of work may initiate a wider debate – we shall see. A further note in that I am keen to receive constructive feedback from any interested party and to quote Ledbelly (via Little Richard) “Oh I may be right, and I may be wrong, but you’re gonna miss me when I’m gone.”
Figure 1: Signal Transfer
Volume 47 No.4 DECEMBER 2025
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