Data traffic in a network can arise from user applications or control activities. While users generate data traffic via applications, the control traffic is generated by devices and network management tasks. Diverse applications generate a variety of traffic, affecting network performance and impacting application experience.
This is where QoS comes into play. It prioritizes traffic for the best possible user experience, ensuring that critical applications are prioritized. In addition, categorizing user applications aids in network flow analysis and design optimization, allowing you to more efficiently allocate resources and improve overall network performance.
However, various applications have distinct communication needs. Consider a hospital's patient monitoring system as an example. The system monitors patients' vital signs, requiring real-time delivery for alarms and immediate responses. Simultaneously, the same system handles non-urgent tasks like updating patient profiles, which don't demand instant action. Balancing these different communication requirements within a single application is crucial for effective functioning.
Now that you know that applications have a variety of characteristics that reflect how they interact with networks, understanding these characteristics is critical for improving network performance.
As you can see in the image above, applications are classified into three categories based on their behaviors and requirements, where each category has special needs and follows certain rules. Now let’s dive in and find out in more detail the specifics for each application category:
Batch Applications: Batch applications involve automated file transfers, such as sending inventory updates. Once the transfer begins, no direct human interaction is required, and bandwidth, while important, is not critical. For example, file exchanges, such as File Transfer Protocol (FTP) for bulk file transfers and Trivial File Transfer Protocol (TFTP) for simple, unattended file exchanges.
Interactive Applications: User input and timely responses are required for interactive applications. This category includes online shopping applications. Human-machine interaction occurs, and while response times are important, strict guarantees are not. Database queries and stock exchange transactions are just two of the many examples.
Real-Time Applications: Real-time applications, such as voice and video calls, require high bandwidth and low latency. Data delivery is critical, and lost data cannot be recovered. VoIP and video conferencing are examples of these applications, focusing on human-to-human interaction, low latency, and data integrity.