MSFC institutional area network and ATM technology

The New Institutional Area Network (NEWIAN) at Marshall supports over 5000 end users with access to 26 file servers providing work presentation services. It is comprised of some 150 Ethernet LAN's interconnected by bridges/routers which are in turn connected to servers over two dual FDDI rings. The network supports various higher level protocols such as IP, IPX, AppleTalk (AT), and DECNet. At present IPX and AT protocols packets are routed, and IP protocol packets are bridged; however, work is in progress to route all IP packets. The impact of routing IP packets on network operation is examined. Broadband Integrated Services Data Network (BISDN), presently at various stages of development, is intended to provide voice, video, and data transfer services over a single network. BISDN will use asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) as a data transfer technique which provides for transmission, multiplexing, switching, and relaying of small size data units called cells. Limited ATM Wide Area Network (WAN) services are offered by Wiltel, AT&T, Sprint, and others. NASA is testing a pilot ATM WAN with a view to provide Program Support Communication Network services using ATM. ATM supports wide range of data rates and quality of service requirements. It is expected that ATM switches will penetrate campus networks as well. However, presently products in these areas are at various stages of development and standards are not yet complete. We examine development of ATM to help assess its role in the evolution of NEWIAN

Optimization flow control -- I: Basic algorithm and convergence

We propose an optimization approach to flow control where the objective is to maximize the aggregate source utility over their transmission rates. We view network links and sources as processors of a distributed computation system to solve the dual problem using a gradient projection algorithm. In this system, sources select transmission rates that maximize their own benefits, utility minus bandwidth cost, and network links adjust bandwidth prices to coordinate the sources' decisions. We allow feedback delays to be different, substantial, and time varying, and links and sources to update at different times and with different frequencies. We provide asynchronous distributed algorithms and prove their convergence in a static environment. We present measurements obtained from a preliminary prototype to illustrate the convergence of the algorithm in a slowly time-varying environment. We discuss its fairness property

Design and implementation of high speed multimedia network.

by Yeung Chung Toa.Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1994.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 63-[65]).Chapter 1 --- Introduction --- p.1Chapter 1.1 --- Bandwidth required by multimedia applications --- p.1Chapter 1.2 --- Real-time requirement --- p.2Chapter 1.3 --- Multicasting --- p.2Chapter 1.4 --- Other networks --- p.3Chapter 1.5 --- Overview of CUM LAUDE NET --- p.5Chapter 1.5.1 --- Protocols --- p.7Chapter 1.5.2 --- Network Services --- p.8Chapter 1.6 --- Scope of the Thesis --- p.9Chapter 2 --- Network Architecture --- p.11Chapter 2.1 --- CUM LAUDE NET Architectural Overview --- p.11Chapter 2.2 --- Level One Network Architecture --- p.12Chapter 2.3 --- Level-One Router --- p.14Chapter 2.3.1 --- packet forwarding --- p.14Chapter 2.3.2 --- packet insertion --- p.15Chapter 2.3.3 --- packet removal --- p.15Chapter 2.3.4 --- fault protection --- p.15Chapter 2.4 --- Hub --- p.16Chapter 2.5 --- Host & Network Interface Card --- p.17Chapter 3 --- Protocol --- p.19Chapter 3.1 --- Design Overview --- p.19Chapter 3.2 --- Layering --- p.20Chapter 3.3 --- "Segment, Datagram, and Packet Format" --- p.21Chapter 3.3.1 --- IP/VCI field --- p.23Chapter 3.4 --- Data Link --- p.23Chapter 3.4.1 --- byte format and data link synchronization --- p.23Chapter 3.4.2 --- access control byte --- p.24Chapter 3.4.3 --- packet/frame boundary --- p.26Chapter 3.5 --- Fast Packet Routing Protocol --- p.26Chapter 3.5.1 --- Level-2/Level-l Bridge/Router --- p.27Chapter 3.5.2 --- Level-1 Hub --- p.29Chapter 3.5.3 --- Local Host NIC --- p.29Chapter 3.6 --- Media Access Control Protocol I : ACTA --- p.30Chapter 3.7 --- Media Access Control Protocol II: Hub Polling --- p.34Chapter 3.8 --- Protocol Implementation on CUM LAUDE NET --- p.36Chapter 4 --- Hardware Implementation & Performance of Routers and NIC --- p.40Chapter 4.1 --- Functionality of Router --- p.40Chapter 4.2 --- Important Components Used in the Router Design --- p.43Chapter 4.2.1 --- TAXI Transmitter and Receiver --- p.43Chapter 4.2.2 --- First-In-First-Out Memory (FIFO) --- p.44Chapter 4.3 --- Design of Router --- p.45Chapter 4.3.1 --- Version 1 --- p.45Chapter 4.3.2 --- Version 2 --- p.47Chapter 4.3.3 --- Version 3 --- p.50Chapter 4.4 --- Lessons Learned from the High Speed Router Design --- p.57Chapter 5 --- Conclusion --- p.61Bibliography --- p.6

IP and ATM integration: A New paradigm in multi-service internetworking

ATM is a widespread technology adopted by many to support advanced data communication, in particular efficient Internet services provision. The expected challenges of multimedia communication together with the increasing massive utilization of IP-based applications urgently require redesign of networking solutions in terms of both new functionalities and enhanced performance. However, the networking context is affected by so many changes, and to some extent chaotic growth, that any approach based on a structured and complex top-down architecture is unlikely to be applicable. Instead, an approach based on finding out the best match between realistic service requirements and the pragmatic, intelligent use of technical opportunities made available by the product market seems more appropriate. By following this approach, innovations and improvements can be introduced at different times, not necessarily complying with each other according to a coherent overall design. With the aim of pursuing feasible innovations in the different networking aspects, we look at both IP and ATM internetworking in order to investigating a few of the most crucial topics/ issues related to the IP and ATM integration perspective. This research would also address various means of internetworking the Internet Protocol (IP) and Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) with an objective of identifying the best possible means of delivering Quality of Service (QoS) requirements for multi-service applications, exploiting the meritorious features that IP and ATM have to offer. Although IP and ATM often have been viewed as competitors, their complementary strengths and limitations from a natural alliance that combines the best aspects of both the technologies. For instance, one limitation of ATM networks has been the relatively large gap between the speed of the network paths and the control operations needed to configure those data paths to meet changing user needs. IP\u27s greatest strength, on the other hand, is the inherent flexibility and its capacity to adapt rapidly to changing conditions. These complementary strengths and limitations make it natural to combine IP with ATM to obtain the best that each has to offer. Over time many models and architectures have evolved for IP/ATM internetworking and they have impacted the fundamental thinking in internetworking IP and ATM. These technologies, architectures, models and implementations will be reviewed in greater detail in addressing possible issues in integrating these architectures s in a multi-service, enterprise network. The objective being to make recommendations as to the best means of interworking the two in exploiting the salient features of one another to provide a faster, reliable, scalable, robust, QoS aware network in the most economical manner. How IP will be carried over ATM when a commercial worldwide ATM network is deployed is not addressed and the details of such a network still remain in a state of flux to specify anything concrete. Our research findings culminated with a strong recommendation that the best model to adopt, in light of the impending integrated service requirements of future multi-service environments, is an ATM core with IP at the edges to realize the best of both technologies in delivering QoS guarantees in a seamless manner to any node in the enterprise

ISDN at NASA Lewis Research Center

An expository investigation of the potential impact of the Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) at NASA Lewis Research Center is described. To properly frame the subject, the paper contains a detailed survey of the components of Narrowband ISDN. The principles and objectives are presented as decreed by the Consultative Committee for International Telephone and Telegraph (CCITT). The various channel types are delineated and their associated service combinations are described. The subscriber-access network functions are explained pictorially via the ISDN reference configuration. A section on switching techniques is presented to enable the reader to understand the emergence of the concept of fast packet switching. This new technology is designed to operate over the high bandwidth, low error rate transmission media that characterizes the LeRC environment. A brief introduction to the next generation of networks is covered with sections on Broadband ISDM (B-ISDN), Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM), and Synchronous Optical Networks (SONET). Applications at LeRC are presented, first in terms of targets of opportunity, then in light of compatibility constraints. In-place pilot projects and testing are described that demonstrate actual usage at LeRC

Grafting an ATM network onto an existing ethernet network

Grafting an ATM network onto an existing Ethernet network is a non-trivial exercise in network configuration. The process of mating ATM technology to an Ethernet network without tampering the underlying backbone and network configuration gives rise to a variety of networking issues including addressing, compatibility, security, efficiency, administrative effort, and scalability. Examples of actual situations serve to illustrate these issues. We have designed several scenarios to tackle the topological problems of an ATM graft. A dual IP approach works but suffers from a lack of scalability. We expect an edge routing solution, with subnetting, will be the most elegant and scalable.Telkom, Siemens, THRI

IP and ATM - a position paper

This paper gives a technical overview of different networking technologies, such as the Internet, ATM. It describes different approaches of how to run IP on top of an ATM network, and assesses their potential to be used as an integrated services network

IP and ATM - current evolution for integrated services

Current and future applications make use of different technologies as voice, data, and video. Consequently network technologies need to support them. For many years, the ATM based Broadband-ISDN has generally been regarded as the ultimate networking technology, which can integrate voice, data, and video services. With the recent tremendous growth of the Internet and the reluctant deployment of public ATM networks, the future development of ATM seems to be less clear than it used to be. In the past IP provided (and was though to provide) only best effort services, thus, despite its world wide diffution, was not considered as a network solution for multimedia application. Currently many of the IETF working groups work on areas related to integrated services, and IP is also proposing itself as networking technology for supporting voice, data, and video services. This paper give a technical overview on the competing integrated services network solutions, such as IP, ATM and the different available and emerging technologies on how to run IP over ATM, and tries to identify their potential and shortcomings