Overview of ATM networks: functions and procedures

The purpose of this paper is to present an overview of the ATM technique. The basic principles of the ATM transfer technique, the B-ISDN layered protocol reference model, as well as the architecture and the main functions of the ATM network, are described in this tutorial. In particular, we present the main characteristics of the ATM technique, the structure of the ATM cell, the functions which deal with the protection from errored cells (HEC procedure) and the identification of the boundaries of the ATM cells (cell delineation and scrambling). The VP/VC concept is explained in detail, and the main principles and functions of the three lowest layers (Physical, ATM and Adaptation) of the B-ISDN layered protocol reference model are surveyed. The issue of Quality of Service parameters in ATM networks is reviewed, and the problem of the allocation of the network resources in response to user demands, as well as the problems of congestion control, Usage Parameter Control (UPC) and traffic modelling in ATM networks, are assessed. Finally, we present ‘possible’ sets of traffic characterization parameters, and show how possible B-ISDN sources can be modelled according to the basic on-off ATM traffic source model.