Session 1

ATM Overview

1 © NOKIA Overview/ 230501 / JVi

 What, where, and why ATM ?
• What is ATM ?
• Asynchronous Transfer Mode
• Based on fixed length packet (each ATM packet = 53 bytes)
• Connection oriented (virtual circuits, virtual paths)
• Different adaptation layers for different types of services.

• Where is ATM for 3G?

• Specified by 3G PP R99 to be used in Iu, Iub, and Iur.

• Why is ATM for 3G?

• Industry trend to migrate towards Packet Switched Data (like ATM and IP)
• To enable Voice Over IP, Streaming video, videoconferencing
Quality of Service (QoS) becomes an important issue
• Back then and even today, IP networks don't fulfil the QoS requirements,
ATM does

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 ATM Adaptation Layers
• AAL 2
• Provides for bandwidth efficient transmission of short, variable
length packets in delay sensitive applications.
• Multiplexes short packets from multiple users into one ATM
connection. (up to 248 users in 1 VCC)
• AAL 5
• Supports variable bit rate data.
• No timing is required between transmitter and receiver.

• AAL 1 (RAN 1.5 )

• Circuit emulation uses AAL 1.
• E1 or later n x 64 kbps (RAN 2.0) can be carried over ATM.

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 AAL2 (ATM Adaptation Layer 2)
AAL2
header

1 2 3 4 5 6

String of AAL2 Packet Data Units String of AAL2 Packet Data Units

ATM CELL ATM CELL

HEADER 1 2 3 4 HEADER 4 5 6

HEADER PAYLOAD
ATM cell = 5 BYTES = 48 BYTES

AAL2 PACKET, fixed header, variable length payload (max. 48 bytes)

OFFSET FIELD, 1 byte (indicates where the next AAL2 PDU starts) on s
a p plicati
l
ritica
ATM CELL, 5-byte header + 48-byte payload
r de la y c
l e fo
i s s uitab
2
PADDING AAL
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 AAL2
CID LI UUI HEC INFO

Packet Header (3 octets) Packet Payload (45 octets)

ATM Payload
• CID: Channel identifier (8 bits)

Typical usage: • LI: Length Indicator (6 bits)

• UUI: User-to-User Indication (5 bits)
- required for silence suppression (VBR traffic)• HEC: Header Error Control (5 bits)
- designed to carry delay sensitive traffic • INFO: Information (1..45/64 octets)

- can multiplex multiple 248 voice channels onto a single VCC (via
CID)
- may require Q.2630.1 signalling (ALCAP) depending on CAS/CCS.
- CDV 20ms max.
-can support VBR and CBR
5 © NOKIA Overview/ 230501 / JVi
 AAL5 (ATM Adaptation Layer 5)
AAL5
trailer

USER DATA - Variable length 1 - 65 535 bytes USER DATA - Variable length 1 - 65 535 bytes

AAL5 Packet Data Unit AAL5 Packet Data Unit

ATM cell 1 ATM cell 2………... ………..ATM cell n PAYLOAD

= N x 48 BYTES

t d ata
ac ke
r p
le fo
AAL5 PACKET, fixed trailer, variable length payload (max. 64 Kbytes)
suitab
is
L5
PADDING FIELD, variable length to fill the 48-byte ATM cell AA

ATM CELL, 5-byte header + 48-byte payload

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 AAL5
AAL5 payload PAD AAL5 trailer

UU CPI Length CRC

AAL5 trailer (8 octets)

ATM payload
(65535 octets) • PAD: Padding (0..47 octects)
• UU: User-to-User indication (1octet)
• CPI: Common Part Indicator (1 octet)
• Length: Length of AAL5 packets (2 octets)
• CRC: Cyclic Redundancy Check (4 octets)
Designed for:
- support for segmentation of large datagrams
- multiprotocol encapsulation (VC multiplexing or
LLC encapsulation)

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 ATM adaptation layers AAL1/2/5
• for circuit emulation • Most recent AAL • For variable length
• for example "virtual application indepen-
• The most important dent packets
E1 TDM trunks" AAL2 application is
through the ATM compressed VoATM • Used for IPoATM
backbone
• In R'99 UTRAN • In R'99 UTRAN for all
• e.g. 2G traffic for all user plane Iu-PS user plane traf-
connections traffic in Iub + Iu-CS fic +the Iu-signalling
together with UTRAN

8 © NOKIA Overview/ 230501 / JVi

 ATM Service Categories
• Constant Bit Rate (CBR)
• Used for constant (maximum) bandwidth services.
• For connections that request fixed (static) bandwidth characterized
by a Peak Cell Rate (PCR) value that is continuously available
during the connection lifetime.
• Source may emit cells at or below the PCR at any time and for any
duration (or may be silent).
• Unspecified Bit Rate (UBR)
• "best effort" service intended for non critical applications which do
not require tightly constrained delay and delay variation nor a
specified quality of service.
• Sources are expected to transmit non-continuous bursts of cells.

• Real-Time Variable Bit Rate (rt-VBR) (RAN 2)

• End system can benefit from statistical multiplexing.
• End system must tolerate small random loss ratio.

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 ATM Service Categories
Serv.
Traffic parameters Qos parameters
Category
CBR PCR CDVT max CTD ptp CDV CLR

rt-VBR PCR CDVT SCR MBS max CTD ptp CDV CLR

nrt-VBR PCR CDVT SCR MBS CLR

UBR PCR(opt)

ABR PCR MCR

• PCR= Peak Cell Rate • max CTD= Maximum Cell Transfer Delay
• CDVT= Cell Delay Variation Tolerance • ptp CDV= Peak-to-peak Cell Delay Variation
• SCR= Sustainable Cell Rate • CLR= Cell Loss Ratio
• MBS= Maximim Burst Size
• MCR= Minimum Cell Rate

ATM Forum: af-tm-0056.000

10 © NOKIA Overview/ 230501 / JVi
 The concept of
virtual channels and virtual paths
User Layer

AAL
ATM Adaptation Layer header

1 2 3 4
ATM Cell Virtual Channel (VC) Virtual Path Transmission path

String of AAL Packet Data Units

ATM Layer

ATM CELL
HEADER 1 2 3 4

ATM cell
•ATM CELL, 5-byte header + 48-byte payload

All connections in 3G RAN are (semi)permanent.

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 ATM terminology

Virtual Channel Connection (VCC)

Virtual Channel Link (VCL)

Virtual Path Connection (VPC)

Virtual Path Link (VPL)

Above there are the commonly used terms, but in

ATM network element management information model another set of terms is in use:

VCC = Virtual Channel Trail

VCL = Virtual Channel Connection
VPC = Virtual Path Trail
VPL = Virtual Path Connection

12 © NOKIA Overview/ 230501 / JVi

 ATM terminology
The similarity of two sets of terminology can be a source of serious confusion.
Especially different usage of Virtual Channel Connection in two sets should be understood.

Virtual Channel Connection (VCC) = VC Trail

Virtual Channel Link (VCL) = VC Connection

Virtual Path Connection (VPC) = VP Trail

Virtual Path Link (VPL) = VP Connection

This is important to understand because in ATM cross-connect unit manager

ATM network element management information model is used.

13 © NOKIA Overview/ 230501 / JVi

 ATM terminology

Virtual Channel Trail (VC Trail)

Virtual Channel Connection (VC Connection)

Virtual Path Trail (VP Trail)

VC TTP Virtual Path Connection (VP Connection)

VC CTP

VP TTP

VP CTP

VC TTP = Virtual Channel Trail Termination Point

VC CTP = Virtual Channel Connection Termination Point
VP TTP = Virtual Path Trail Termination Point
VP CTP = Virtual Path Connection Termination Point

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