[ppml] too many variables

[Paul Vixie]

[ vijay]

> I guess people are still spectacularly missing the real point.   The point
> isn't that  the latest generation hardware cpu du jour you can pick up from
> the local hardware store is doubling processing power every n months. 

agreed.

> The point is that getting them qualified, tested, verified, and then
> deployed is a non trivial task. We need to be substantially behind moores
> observation to be economically viable. I have some small number of route
> processors in my network and it is a major hassle to get even those few
> upgraded. In other words, if you have a network that you can upgrade the RPs
> on every 18 months, let me know.

yow.  while i agree that routing processors cannot, and have historically not
had to, track moore's law, i am still surprised to see such a heavy focus on
the RP.  my (ample) gut feeling on this is that system level (combinatorial)
effects would limit Internet routing long before moore's law could do so.