Baselining is a method for analyzing computer network performance. The method is marked by comparing current performance to a historical metric

Metric (mathematics)

In mathematics, a metric or distance function is a function which defines a distance between elements of a set. A set with a metric is called a metric space. A metric induces a topology on a set but not all topologies can be generated by a metric...

, or "baseline". For example, if you measured the performance of a network switch

Network switch

A network switch or switching hub is a computer networking device that connects network segments.The term commonly refers to a multi-port network bridge that processes and routes data at the data link layer of the OSI model...

over a period of time, you could use that performance figure as a comparative baseline if you made a configuration change to the switch.

Uses

Baselining is useful for many performance management tasks, including:

• Monitoring daily network performance
• Measuring trends in network performance
• Assessing whether network performance is meeting requirements laid out in a service agreement