Conclusions from the mean results

From the tables with monthly mean values (table , ..., ) and from the plots with weekly mean values (figure , ..., ) the following conclusions can be drawn:

• From the tables 4 and 5 and the figures  ..., , showing the minimum, average and maximum roundtrip values, there follows:
  • The ATM minimum, average and maximum roundtrip values are relative invariant during the measurement period. However, there is a slight increase in the average and maximum roundtrip values during the last four months,
  • There is also not much change in the minimum ping values which are obtained along the Internet route. However, there is a considerable decrease in average and maximum roundtrip values when more recent data are compared with the results of older measurements. This is especially true when the results of the first three months are compared with newer data.
  • There is not much difference in minimum roundtrip values when the ATM route is compared with the Internet route. Of course there are local differences, but for instance the variations during time in the minimum roundtrip values are for both routes comparable.
  • When the average and maximum roundtrip values of an ATM route are compared with the corresponding Internet route, it follows that the differences between both routes are getting smaller for more recent data. But the variations in the Internet data are always larger.
• From the tables 6 and 7, showing the percentages roundtrip packages lost, there can be concluded:
  • There is no significant package lost at the ATM connections.
  • There is package lost at the Internet route, however the differences are decreasing for more recent data compared to older results.
• Tables 8,  and figure 5 with throughput values show that:
  • The throughput values obtained for the ATM routes are not significant changing for most connections. However, for some connections (VU => UVA and UVA => RUL) they are slightly decreasing when more recent data are compared to older results.
  • The throughput values from the Internet route are increasing when recent data are compared with older results. In most cases the values have become larger that those from the ATM route. Only for the connection RUL => TUD the ATM throughput values are still significant larger than the Internet values.