95th percentile

GordyMac · Post #1 (**permalink**) 12-26-2003, 07:49 AM

Can someone explain the "95th percentile" rule to me? I don't understand it at all and I always hear people talking about it and it is REALLY starting to annoy me

BVSDaryl · Post #2 (**permalink**) 12-26-2003, 02:09 PM

The 95th percentile is a mathematical calculation widely used to evaluate the regular, sustained utilization of your Internet connection. The reason this statistic is so useful in measuring data throughput is that it gives a very accurate picture of the cost of the bandwidth. The 95th percentile says that 95% of the time, your usage is below this amount. Just the same, the remaining 5% of the time, your usage is above that amount. The 95th percentile is a good number to judge how much bandwidth you are actually utilizing and helps filter out usage spikes.

Hope this helps

GordyMac · Post #3 (**permalink**) 12-26-2003, 03:08 PM

Oh.. so they kind of take an average I guess?

BVSDaryl · Post #4 (**permalink**) 12-27-2003, 02:18 PM

Yep, which is good sometimes but can be a real pain as well.

GordyMac · Post #5 (**permalink**) 12-27-2003, 03:06 PM

Yeah I get it.. nice... that is a good way to calculate though. From what I understand anyway.

BlackStorm · Post #6 (**permalink**) 12-27-2003, 05:53 PM

Wouldnt be if you get a DoS attact that lasts a good while, or a few in a month, would really bring the bill up