Friday, January 11, 2008

Network Tomography

Network tomography is the study of a network's internal characteristics using information derived from end point data. The word tomography is used to link the field, in concept, to other processes that infer the internal characteristics of an object from external observation, as is done in magnetic resonance imaging or positron emission tomography. The field is a recent development in electrical engineering and computer science, founded in 1996. Network tomography advocates that it is possible to map the path data takes through the Internet by examining information from "edge nodes," the computers where data is originated and requested from.

The field is useful for engineers attempting to develop more efficient computer networks. Data derived from network tomography studies can be used to increase quality of service by limiting link packet loss and increasing routing optimiztion.

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