The Role of PASTA in Network Measurement

Poisson Arrivals SeeTimeAverages (PASTA) is a well-known property applicable to many stochastic systems. In active probing, PASTA is invoked to justify the sending of probe packets (or trains) at Poisson times in a variety of contexts. However, due to the diversity of aims and analysis techniques used in active probing, the benefits of Poisson-based measurement, and the utility and role of PASTA, are unclear. Using a combination of rigorous results and carefully constructed examples and counterexamples, the authors map out the issues involved and argue that PASTA is of very limited use in active probing.