Question

A network path consists of 5 links with various bandwidths in series: R1 = 200 Mbps, R2 = 50 Mbps, R3 = 1 Gbps, R4 = 25 Mbps, R5 = 100 Mbps. ? What is the effective end-to-end throughput of this path?

Answer 1

The effective end-to-end throughput of the network path is limited to 25 Mbps due to the slowest link in the series, which acts as the bottleneck.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question asks about the effective end-to-end throughput of a network path with different link bandwidths. In data communications, end-to-end throughput, especially in a path with multiple links, is dictated by the link with the lowest bandwidth because it can be considered a bottleneck in the network. This concept is often referred to as the weakest link or the bottleneck link. In this scenario, the link with the lowest bandwidth is R4 with 25 Mbps. Therefore, regardless of the higher bandwidths of the other links, the effective end-to-end throughput of this network path cannot exceed 25 Mbps.