Statistical analysis and mathematical modeling of network (segment) traffic

Abstract

Network traffic due to its heterogeneity can be modeled by heavy tail distributions. A 100 Mbps Ethernet link has been used to capture the network traffic (IP Packets) and the measurements on a switched Ethernet system are presented that reveal new insights into the statistical nature of the traffic. Various parameters of sniffed network traffic from six different data sets are parsed for its characterization. Packet inter-arrival time and packet size are statistically evaluated and analyzed. Packet inter-arrival time follows power law and can be modeled by heavy tail distribution (Pareto distribution). Hybrid mathematical model of packet size has also been presented