What is 'load shedding' in the context of a TSC?

Load shedding refers to the strategic decision to drop less critical sessions during periods of high demand or resource constraints in order to maintain overall service quality. In the context of a Tactical Session Controller, this process is vital for ensuring that the most important and time-sensitive communication sessions continue to function effectively, even when system resources are strained.

When the system recognizes that it cannot accommodate all ongoing sessions without degrading performance, it prioritizes resources by terminating or offloading lower-priority sessions. This helps maintain service reliability and performance for users who need it most. The significant advantage of this approach is that it prevents the entire system from becoming overwhelmed, which could lead to complete service failures.

The other choices do not align with the definition of load shedding. Increasing the number of call handlers might improve capacity but doesn’t relate to the concept of dropping sessions. Reducing the server capacity does not accurately capture the strategy of managing existing loads. Enhancing network security protocols is important for safeguarding data and communications, but it does not address the issue of managing session quality under load.