Seperation of individual virtual channels into groups of virtual path helps ATM logical connections simplify network architecture by addressing which network function?
Answers
Answer:
Bill Stallings discusses the technology behind Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM), the widely used wide area network technology.
Like this article? We recommend
Like this article? We recommend
High-Speed Networks and Internets: Performance and Quality of Service, 2nd EditionHigh-Speed Networks and Internets: Performance and Quality of Service, 2nd Edition
Learn More Buy
As the speed and number of local area networks (LANs) continue their relentless growth, increasing demand is place on wide area packet-switching networks to support the tremendous throughput generated by these LANs. In the early days of wide area networking, X.25 was designed to support direct connection of terminals and computers over long distances. At speeds up to 64 Kbps or so, X.25 copes well with these demands. As LANs have come to play an increasing role in the local environment, however, X.25, with its substantial overhead, is being recognized as an inadequate tool for wide area networking. This has led to increasing interest in frame relay, which is designed to support access speeds up to 2 Mbps. But as we look to the not-too-distant future, even the streamlined design of frame relay will falter in the face of a requirement for wide area access speeds in the tens and hundreds of megabits per second. To accommodate these gargantuan requirements, the latest technology has emerged: asynchronous transfer mode (ATM), also known as cell relay.
ATM is similar in concept to frame relay. Both frame relay and ATM take advantage of the reliability and fidelity of modern digital facilities to provide faster packet-switching than X.25. ATM is even more streamlined than frame relay in its functionality, and can support data rates several orders of magnitude greater than frame relay.
In addition to their technical similarities, ATM and frame relay have similar histories. Frame relay was developed as part of the work of ISDN, but is now finding wide application in private networks and other non–ISDN applications, particularly in bridges and routers. ATM was developed as part of the work on broadband ISDN, but now finds applications in non–ISDN environments, where very high data rates are required.