So one chip manages your toaster the other your computer and the third your TV. With the explosion of Peer-To-Peer (pc-to-pc direct data transfer), high definition video streaming and ubiquitous computing projects like Internet are looking at a scenario where even light bulbs and toasters will have an Internet Protocol (IP) address in affect making household compliances capable of accessing as well as being controlled by the internet.
For starters efficient usage of energy and centralized control, following that train of thought we are looking at a scenario where even light bulbs and toasters will have
windows bandwidth IP addresses and will be hooked onto the internet - networks as we understand them today may be overwhelmed by the load of data. Each port (access path) on the router or switch will have individual silicon chips that would monitor the traffic flow of the network.
Credit: Lenny WuAdaptive networks will also seamlessly support different applications life Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), video conferencing, video surveillance, wireless applications computing on demand or any other new applications that are developed and used by us. This said networks of the future will look different and will most probably work on different protocols.
Another big advantage for these decentralised architecture is that there will be no single choke point in the network, therefore ensuring that even in the case of a disaster, some part of the network will always be up and running. Such networks will not need full time chaperoning which is the job of many a systems administrator.
Such architecture will ensure that the available capacity is optimised for all these bandwidth hungry applications. Currently, most networks have a one-size fits all philosophy when it comes to applications and when newer demands start to rise on the network, it starts showing signs of a imminent breakdown. These networks have been
monitor bandwidth usage on network named adaptive networks; their job will be to provide a personalized experience for every user, with minimum maintenance. The scenario seems very Utopian, but already the Pro Curve Networking initiative from the networking arm of HP has a neat solution that will make the networks of the future "think" the way they are supposed to.
