Performance Analysis Of Atm Networks

Over recent years, a considerable amount of effort has been devoted, both in industry and academia, towards the performance modelling, evaluation and prediction of Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) networks. This book describes recent advances in ATM networks reflecting the state-of-the-art technology and research achievements worldwide. In addition, it provides a fundamental source of reference in the ATM field. Research topics discussed in detail include: Traffic Modelling and Characterisation; Routing; Switch and Multiplexer Models; Call Admission Control (CAC); Congestion Control; Resource Allocation; Quality of Service (QoS); Tools and Techniques. This volume contains recently extended refereed papers of the 5th International Workshop on Performance Modelling and Evaluation of ATM Networks, which was sponsored by the International Federation for Information Processing (IFIP) and held in Ilkley, UK in July 1997. Performance Analysis of ATM Networks continues the tradition established by the first three IFIP volumes on the subject, and it is ideal for personnel in computer/communication industries as well as academic and research staff in computer science and electrical engineering.

Information Highways are widely considered as the next generation of high speed communication systems. These highways will be based on emerging Broadband Integrated Services Digital Networks (B-ISDN), which - at least in principle - are envisioned to support not only all the kinds of networking applications known today but also future applications which are not as yet understood fully or even anticipated. Thus, B-ISDNs release networking processes from the limitations which the communications medium has imposed historically. The operational generality stems from the versatility of Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) which is the transfer mode adopted by ITU-T for broadband public ISDN as well as wide area private ISDN. A transfer mode which provides the transmission, multiplexing and switching core that lies at the foundations of a communication network. ATM is designed to integrate existing and future voice, audio, image and data services. Moreover, ATM aims to minimise the complexity of switching and buffer management, to optimise intermediate node processing and buffering and to bound transmission delays. These design objectives are met at high transmission speeds by keeping the basic unit of ATM transmission - the ATM cell - short and of fixed length.

Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) networks are widely considered to be the new generation of high speed communication systems both for broadband public information highways and for local and wide area private networks. ATM is designed to integrate existing and future voice, audio, image and data services. Moreover, ATM aims to simplify the complexity of switching and buffer management, to optimise intermediate node processing and buffering and to limit transmission delays. However, to support such diverse services on one integrated communication network, it is most essential, through careful engineering, to achieve a fruitful balance amongst the conflicting requirements of different quality of service constraints ensuring that one service does not have adverse implications on another. Over recent years there has been a great deal of progress in research and development of ATM technology, but there are still many interesting and important problems to be resolved such as traffic characterisation and control, routing and optimisation, ATM switching techniques and the provision of quality of service. This book presents thirty-two research papers, both from industry and academia, reflecting latest original achievements in the theory and practice of performance modelling of ATM networks worldwide. These papers were selected, subject to peer review, from those submitted as extended and revised versions out of fifty-nine shorter papers presented at the Second IFIP Workshop on "Performance Modelling and Evaluation of ATM Networks" July 4-7, 1994, Bradford University. At least three referees from the scientific committee and externally were involved in the selection of each paper.

Performance evaluation, reliability, and performability are key factors in the development and improvement of computer systems and computer networks. This volume contains the 25 accepted and invited papers presented at the 7th International Conference on Modelling Techniques and Tools for Computer Performance Evaluation. The papers focus on new techniques and the extension of existing techniques for performance and reliability analysis. Tools to support performance and reliability modelling and measurement in all kinds of applications and environments are presented, and the practicability and generality of the approaches are emphasized. The volume summarizes the state of the art and points out future demands and challenges, and will interest both scientists and practitioners.