Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Mizrahi, Tal, Schapira, Michael, Moses, Yoram
Format: Preprint
Published: 2024
Subjects:
Online Access:https://arxiv.org/abs/2406.09093
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1866916285773774848
author Mizrahi, Tal
Schapira, Michael
Moses, Yoram
author_facet Mizrahi, Tal
Schapira, Michael
Moses, Yoram
contents Network measurement involves an inherent tradeoff between accuracy and overhead; higher accuracy typically comes at the expense of greater measurement overhead (measurement frequency, number of probe packets, etc.). Capturing the "right" balance between these two desiderata - high accuracy and low overhead - is a key challenge. However, the manner in which accuracy and overhead are traded off is specific to the measurement method, rendering apples-to-apples comparisons difficult. To address this, we put forth a novel analytical framework for quantifying the accuracy-overhead tradeoff for network measurements. Our framework, inspired by the observer effect in modern physics, introduces the notion of a network observer factor, which formally captures the relation between measurement accuracy and overhead. Using our "network observer framework", measurement methods for the same task can be characterized in terms of their network observer factors, allowing for apples-to-apples comparisons. We illustrate the usefulness of our approach by showing how it can be applied to various application domains and validate its conclusions through experimental evaluation.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2406_09093
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle The Observer Effect in Computer Networks
Mizrahi, Tal
Schapira, Michael
Moses, Yoram
Networking and Internet Architecture
Network measurement involves an inherent tradeoff between accuracy and overhead; higher accuracy typically comes at the expense of greater measurement overhead (measurement frequency, number of probe packets, etc.). Capturing the "right" balance between these two desiderata - high accuracy and low overhead - is a key challenge. However, the manner in which accuracy and overhead are traded off is specific to the measurement method, rendering apples-to-apples comparisons difficult. To address this, we put forth a novel analytical framework for quantifying the accuracy-overhead tradeoff for network measurements. Our framework, inspired by the observer effect in modern physics, introduces the notion of a network observer factor, which formally captures the relation between measurement accuracy and overhead. Using our "network observer framework", measurement methods for the same task can be characterized in terms of their network observer factors, allowing for apples-to-apples comparisons. We illustrate the usefulness of our approach by showing how it can be applied to various application domains and validate its conclusions through experimental evaluation.
title The Observer Effect in Computer Networks
topic Networking and Internet Architecture
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2406.09093