Asynchronous Transfer

Mode (ATM)

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 ATM
• ATM is a high speed broad band
transmission direct communication based on
packet switching.
• It is a switching technique used by
telecommunication networks Eg., voice.
• Uses Asynchronous TDM to encode the data
into small fixed sized cells.
• Transferring data in cells of a fixed size.

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 ATM
• Transferring data in cells of a fixed size.
• Fixed cells structure of ATM means: it can be
easily switched by hardware by avoiding
queuing delays.[ if data size is irregular some
packets are big, medium, small., there will be
queuing delay for smaller packet. So packet
size is of equal size.
• It operates at DLL.

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 Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM)
• Also called cell relay.
• Similar to Frame relay.
• Both frame relay and ATM provide faster
packet switching than X.25.
• It is more streamlined than frame relay in its
functionality.
• It can support data rates several orders of
magnitude > frame relay.
• Data transfer in discrete chunks.

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 Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM)
• Allows multiple connections to be
multiplexed over a single physical
interface.
• Transfer fixed-size packets called cells.
• It is a streamlined protocol with minimal
error and flow control.
• This reduce no. of overhead bits required
with each cell.

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 ATM Protocol Architecture
• Physical layer
– Transmission medium
– Signal encoding scheme
– Specifies data rate. Ex: 155.52Mbps and 622.08Mbps.

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 ATM Protocol Architecture cont..
• 2 layers relate to ATM functions:
1. ATM layer
• Common to all services that provides packet transfers.
• Defines data transmission in fixed-size cells.
• Defines use of logical connections.

2. AAL layer
• ATM adaptation layer(AAL).
• Service dependent.
• It maps higher layer info’ into ATM cell to transfer.
• It collects info’ from ATM cell to deliver to higher layers.

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 ATM Protocol Architecture cont..
• Consists of 3 planes:
1. User plane
– It provides for user info’ transfer, along with controls
(Ex: Flow control, Error control).
2. Control plane
– Performs call control and connection control functions.
3. Management plane
– It includes plane management and layer management.
1. Plane management
• Perform management functions related to a system.
• Provide coordination between all planes.
2. Layer management
• Perform management functions related to resources.
• Parameters residing in protocol entity.
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ATM Logical Connections

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 Logical Connections
• VCC (Virtual Channel Connection)
– Logical connections are referred to as
VCC .
– It is analogous to VC in X.25 or
– virtual connection in frame relay.
– It exchanges
• variable rate,
• full-duplex flow of fixed-size cells.
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 Logical Connections
– Also used for used-n/w exchange (control signal)
and
– n/w-n/w exchange (n/w management and
routing).
– Endpoint of a VCC may be
• End users
• Network entities
• An end user and a network entity
– In all cases cell sequence is preserved within a
VCC.

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• VPC (Virtual Path Connection)
– A bundle of VCCs with same endpoints.
– Developed for high speed networks to reduce n/w
control cost.
• Connections share common path.
• N/w management functions can be applied to a
small groups instead of a large no. of individual
connections.

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 Advantages of Virtual Paths
1. Simplified network architecture
– N/w transport functions can be separated
• Related to individual logical connection
• Related to a group of logical connections
2. Increased network performance and
reliability
– N/w deals with fewer, aggregated entities.

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 Advantages of Virtual Paths
3. Reduced processing and short connection setup
time
– During VPC set up, capacity is reserved.
– New VCC can be established by executing simple
control functions at end points of VPC.
– No processing required at transit nodes.
4. Enhanced network services
– VP is internal to the n/w, but also visible to end
user.
– Thus user may define closed user group of VC
bundles or closed n/ws of VC bundles.
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 Call establishment using virtual path
• A VPC set up is separated from an individual VCC set up.
• VP control mechanisms include
1. Calculating routes
2. Allocating capacity
3. Storing connection state info’
• For an individual VC set up, control involves
– Check – is there VPC to destination with sufficient capacity and
QoS.
– Store – required state info’ (VC/VP mapping)

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Call establishment using virtual path

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 VCC Uses
1. Between end users
1. Used to carry end-to-end user data.
2. Also carry control signal b/w end user.
2. Between an end user and a network entity
– VCC - Used for user-to-n/w control signal.
– VPC – used to aggregate traffic from an end user to a n/w
server
3. Between 2 network entities
– VCC – used for n/w traffic management and routing functions.
– VPC – used to define common route for exchange n/w
management functions.

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ATM Adaptation Layer

High Speed Networks and Internet:

Performance and quality of services
By
W. Stalling,

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 ATM Adaptation Layer
• It provides
– Mechanism for mapping a variety of appl. onto ATM layer
– Protocols.
• ATM uses AAL to support information transfer protocol which
are not based on ATM.
• Ex:
– PCM (Pulse Code Modulation) voice
– LAPF

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 AAL SERVICES
• Example services provided by AAL
1. Handle transmission errors.
2. Segmentation and reassembly.
3. Flow control and timing control.
4. Handle lost and misinserted cell conditions.
• A set of AAL protocols are defined to support various classes of service.
• ITU-T defined 4 classes of service to minimize no. of AAL protocols.
• Classification is based on
– Whether timing relationship must be maintained b/w source and
destination.
– Whether application requires a CBR.
– Whether transfer is connection-oriented or connectionless.

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 Protocol architecture for ATM and AAL
• AAL layer is organized in 2 logical sublayers:
1. Convergence Sublayer(CS)
• Provide functions needed to support
specific appln.
• Service dependent layer.
2. Segmentation and Reassembly
Sublayer(SAR)
• Packs information received from CS
into cells for trans. and unpacks info’ at
other end.
• It packs any SAR header and trailer
plus CS info’ into 48-octet block.

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AAL Protocols and PDU

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 AAL Protocols and PDU cont..
• A higher layer block of data is encapsulated in a single CS protocol
data unit(PDU) which consists of
– Higher-layer data and
– A header and trailer which contain protocol info’ at CS level.
• Then this CS PDU is passed down to SAR layer and segmented into
no. of blocks.
– Each block is encapsulated in a single 48-octet SAR PDU which
include a header and trailer and block of data from CS.
– Finally, each SAR PDU forms payload of a single ATM cell.

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 AAL Protocols and PDU cont..
• ITU-T defined one protocol type for each class of service, named
Type 1 through Type 5.
• Each protocol type consists of 2 protocols
1. One at CS sublayer
2. One at SAR sublayer
• Recently, Type 3 and 4 were merged into Type 3/4.
• In all 4 types, a block of data from a higher layer is encapsulated
into a PDU at CS sublayer.
• CS sublayer referred as common part convergence sublayer
(CPCS).
• CPCS-PDU is then passed to SAR sublayer, where it broken into
payload blocks.

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 AAL Type 1 Protocol
• Deal constant bit rate(CBR)source.
• AAL type 1 CBR services are
1. Circuit emulation
2. ISDN (Integrated Services for Digital Network)
3. Voice over ATM
• Services Provided by Type 1:
1. Transfer SDUs with constant bit rate(CBR).
2. Transfer timing and structure information b/w source and
destination.
3. Indicate lost or errored information not recovered by type1.

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 AAL Type 2 Protocol
• Deal variable bit rate (VBR) information.
• Intended for analog information, such as voice, video and audio, that
require timing info’ but do not require CBR.
• Format of PDU has not yet been defined.
• Services Provided by Type 2:

1. Transfer SDUs with variable bit rate (VBR).

2. Transfer timing information b/w source and destination.
3. Indicate lost or errored information not recovered by type 2.

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 AAL Type 2 Protocol cont…
Overall Functions:
1. Segmentation reassembly.
2. Handle cell delay variation.
3. Handle lost and misinserted cells.
4. Recover source clock frequency at destination.
5. Recover source data structure at receiver.
6. Monitor and handle header and trailer bit errors.
7. Monitor user info’ for bit error and possible corrective action.

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 AAL Type 3/4 Protocol
• Type 3 and 4 were very similar in terms of PDU format and
functionality.
• ITU-T, combine 2 into a single protocol, called Type ¾.
• Types of services provided by
1. Service may be connectionless or connection oriented.
2. Service may be message mode or streaming mode.
• Message mode: Transfer framed data
• Streaming mode: Transfer low speed continuous data with
low delay requirements.

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 AAL Type 3/4 Protocol cont..
• Services Provided by Type 3/4:
1. Streaming mode service
2. Assured operation
3. Non-assured operation
• SAR functions:
1. Segmentation reassembly.
2. Error detection
3. Sequence integrity
4. Multiplexing.
• CS functions:
1. Error detection and handling.
2. Indicate buffer allocation size.
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 AAL TYPE 5
• Services Provided by Type 5:
1. Message mode service
2. Streaming mode service
3. Assured operation
4. Non-assured operation
• SAR functions:
1. Segmentation reassembly.
2. Handle congestion info’
3. Handle priority loss info’
• CS functions:
1. Error detection and handling.
2. Padding
3. Handle congestion info’
4. Handle priority loss info’
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ATM Cells

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 ATM Cells
• Small and fixed-size.
• 5-octet header
• 48-octet information field as payload [totally 53 bytes]

• Advantages:

1. Reduce queuing delay for high-priority cells,

because it waits less.
2. Easy to implement switching mechanism in
hardware, because of fixed-size, .

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ATM Cell Format

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 UNI HEADER
• Used within the private network of
ATM
• for communication between ATM
end points and ATM switches.

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 NNI HEADER
• Used for communication between ATM
Switches.
• It is used for
– real time,
– low latency data such as VoIP & video for high
throughput data transfer.

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 Advantages
• It provides dynamic bandwidth.
• Data transmission is simple and uniform
• since all the data are encoded into identical
cells.
• Small sized header reduces packet overhead
ensuring effective bandwidth usage.

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 Header Format
1. Generic flow control
2. Virtual path identifier (VPI)
3. Virtual channel identifier (VCI)
4. Payload type (PT)
5. Cell loss priority (CLP)
6. Header error control (HEC)

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 Header Format cont..
• Generic Flow Control
– Not appear in the header of NNI.
– Appear only in UNI.
– Used to control flow of cells only at UNI.
– Used to improve short-term overload conditions in the n/w.

• Virtual path identifier (VPI)

– Constitute a routing field for n/w.
– 8-bits at UNI and
– 12-bits at NNI.

• Virtual channel identifier (VCI)

– Used for routing to and from end user.
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 Header Format cont..
• Payload type(PT)
– Indicates type of info’ in the info’ field.
– 0 in first bit indicates cell carries user info’.
– 1 in first bit indicates cell carries n/w mgmt. or
maintenance info’.
– 2nd bit indicates whether congestion has been
experienced.
– 3rd bit is known as service data unit (SDU) type bit.
• Used to discriminate 2 types of ATM SDUs
associated with a connection.

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 Header Format cont..
• Cell loss priority (CLP)
– Used to provide guidance to n/w during congestion.
– 0 indicates higher priority cell, should not be discarded unless no
other alternative is available.
– 1 indicates – cell is subject to discard.

• Header error control (HEC)

– Used for error control.
– 8-bit field.
– It is calculated based on remaining 32-bits of the
header.

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