By Mike O'Dell Distinguished Engineer Comcast Maher Harb Distinguished Engineer, Data Science Comcast Mike Spaulding VP, Plant Maintenance Comcast Scott Johnston Director, Network Engineering Comcast Westley Darby Engineer, Quality Assurance Comcast Alex Zayvelev Senior Access Engineer Comcast
Efficiency – noun: The quality of achieving the largest amount of useful work using as little energy, fuel, effort, etc. as possible (Cambridge Dictionary)
Efficiency – noun: (b): the ratio of the useful energy delivered by a dynamic system to the energy supplied to it (Merriam-Webster Dictionary)
In both definitions, there are elements that are useful for describing the optimal operation of a DOCSIS network. In the Cambridge Dictionary definition, the idea of the largest amount of useful work, using as little energy as possible, is intriguing. It leans into the conducted valuable work to make our networks more energy-efficient and sustainable. In the Merriam-Webster dictionary definition, the concept is that there is a ratio-driven relationship between the energy applied to the system and the energy delivered by the system. Also, the fact that the system is dynamic is particularly relevant in this application.
In this paper, we explore the various ways to use these definitions of efficiency, how they can be used to define impairments impacting a DOCSIS network, and how they can be a useful method of prioritizing remediation efforts.