[e2e] Switched Ethernet is Not an End-to-End System; was Protocols breaking the end-to-end argument

[Detlef Bosau]

Richard Bennett wrote:
> It's rather interesting that while Bob Braden insists that the 
> Internet is an "application neutral network" David Clark famously 
> derides such views as "happy little bunny rabbit dreams" and works to 
> make it better able to support diverse applications.
>
> Who's right?
>

Perhaps both of them.

Some time ago, someone wrote here in the list: Science is about asking 
questions and answering them.

Perhaps, science can even be about proposing views - and evaluating them.

Do we always need a clear "right" and "wrong"?

I've seen Ethernet installations which clearly distinguish different 
VLANs with different properties, e.g. one "best effort" network for 
client server applications and QoS properties for VoIP.

I don't have a problem with this.

I don't even have a problem with using VJCC for the one network and 
circuit switching like MPLS for the other.

It is sometimes a bit confusing that we have end to end applications and 
centrally managed ones on the same infrastructure.

We only should avoid to think in to strict right vs. wrong, black vs. white.

(It took me some years to accept a coexistence of different paradigms 
like these on wireless networks. And, btw., wireless networks are a 
wonderful example for the coexistence of real time and best effort 
applications, end to end applications and ones with centrally managed 
switching. Networks are flexible enough. We just should learn to be 
flexible as well.)

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