Bufferbloat (nonfiction)
Bufferbloat is a cause of high latency in packet-switched networks caused by excess buffering of packets. Bufferbloat can also cause packet delay variation (also known as jitter), as well as reduce the overall network throughput. When a router or switch is configured to use excessively large buffers, even very high-speed networks can become practically unusable for many interactive applications like voice over IP (VoIP), online gaming, and even ordinary web surfing.
Some communications equipment manufacturers designed unnecessarily large buffers into some of their network products. In such equipment, bufferbloat occurs when a network link becomes congested, causing packets to become queued for long periods in these oversized buffers. In a first-in first-out queuing system, overly large buffers result in longer queues and higher latency, and do not improve network throughput.
The bufferbloat phenomenon was described as early as 1985. It gained more widespread attention starting in 2009.
Several technical solutions exist which can be broadly grouped into two categories:
- Solutions that target the network
- Solutions that target endpoints
In the News
Fiction cross-reference
Nonfiction cross-reference
External links:
- Bufferbloat @ Wikipedia