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In this chapter we have tried to provide an overview of an important topic regarding the peculiar impact of self-similar Internet traffic on buffer sizing for routers and servers. The reason this is potentially very important for capacity planning is due to LRD clustering of Internet packets of the type first observed in the Bellcore measurements circa 1990. Such fractal-like clustering potentially leads to buffer overflow at much lower than conventionally expected traffic intensities.

Unfortunately, most of the details concerning LRD effects are contained in academic papers that are mathematically very sophisticated and impenetrable to the typical network capacity planner. This chapter has attempted to provide a simpler mathematical treatment than is generally available, but without any loss in accuracy. We concluded with some recent measurements and analysis that indicate the severity of these LRD effects may have been overestimated. Nonetheless, even if LRD effects are less important now than is currently portrayed, the wise GCaP planner will use the tools listed in Sect. 10.2 to monitor Internet traffic for their appearance in the future as multi-media payloads become more commonplace.