“Managing network performance is like keeping an ant colony
orderly: the network has its own criteria for what to do next, the
logic behind which humans often cannot fathom. The challenge is
actually even more impossible, for in nature, ant colonies consist
of the same species. In networks-as-ant-colonies, the database
transmissions and e-mails are all different species. Some are
compatible, some not. Most are friendly, some hostile, a few the
equivalent of anti-personnel mines.”
“In order to control data communication networks, Top Layer
Networks, a new company located in Westborough, Mass., developed
the AppSwitch. The software automatically sorts network traffic
according to both a user’s priorities and the application that is
generating the messages. It penetrates up to Layer 7 of an e-mail’s
headers, for example, which can mean translating the code of seven
different “species” of applications and priorities….”
“Linux was chosen as the prototype platform OS because ACT
targeted a compiler to it. Also, the Top Layer software engineers
are familiar with UNIX-like operating systems. The operating system
for the Back Engine of the AppSwitch is a modified version of the
GNAT runtime system. As part of its modification, Top Layer also
created an OS kernel that supports a POSIX interface, which Linux
also supports.”