Dar es Salaam institute of Technology

(DIT)
ETU 07420
Switching Systems
Ally, J
jumannea@gmail.com
DIT

Asynchronous Transfer Mode

(ATM)

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Why do we need a new

technology?
To provide a high-speed, low delay
multiplexing and switching network to any

type of

user traffic, such as voice support, data,or video

applications.

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What is ATM?
ATM

for Telecommunications is Asynchronous

Transfer Mode, (not Automatic Teller Machine!).
ATM is a flexible high bandwidth, low delay
network technology that is capable of handling
voice, video and data on a single network; and
mostly used in the backbone
In general, ATM means that traffic is carried in
small, fixed-length packets called cells.
A technology that integrates advantages of
circuit switch and packet switch.
ATM can support any type of user services, such
as voice, data, or video service.
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ATM Overview
5-Bytes
Header

48-Bytes
Payload

53byte fixed length cell= 5Bytes cell

header+48Bytes payload.
ATM must set up virtual connection before
communication.

Contract

ATM network will confer with terminal on

parameter of QoS before the connection is
set up.

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ATM can provides both CBR and VBR

transport

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Connectionless & Connectionoriented

Connection-oriented : All packets
are transferred from the same
route , so the receiving order of
packets depends on the sending
order. Time delay is fixed.

p
Setu
p
u
t
Se

p
Setu

Connectionless: Every packet is

transferred from different routes, so
the receiving order of packets
doesnt possibly depend on the
sending order.

Setu
p
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ATM Switch Models Characteristic

Any users cell will not be send

periodically, and bandwidth will be shared
and statistically multiplexed.

Many types of service can be transferred

in the same time and Quality of Service is
supported in an ATM network.

Fixed length cell, so switch can be

controlled by hardware and high-speed
switching is easy to be realized.
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ATMs Advantage

Integration of various services such as voice, image, video, data and

multimedia.

Standardization of network structures and components. This results in

cost savings for network providers.

Transmission that is independent of the medium used PDH, SDH,

SONET and other media can be used to transport ATM cells.

ATM is scaleable, i.e. the bandwidth can be adapted extremely flexibly

to meet user requirements.

Guaranteed transmission quality to match the service required by the

user (quality of service, QoS).

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ATMs Application

In Switching:

In Transmission:

Traditional Exchange is evolving into Broadband

Exchange by ATMs application

ATM virtual path exchange node and ATM Add/Drop

Multiplexer

In Internet:

ATM router applied in IP Switching, Multi-Protocol

Label Switching
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ATM Network Model

UNI

NNI

NNI

UNI

NNI

NNI
PNNI
PNNI
ICI
UNI

NNI Network Node Interface

UNI User Node Interface
ICI Inter-carrier Interface
PNNI Private Network Node
Interface

Other
Network

NNI
NNI

NNI
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ATM Interfaces
The following ATM interfaces have been defined and standardized
Private UNI (user-node interface) specification of the interface
between a users device (e.g. a workstation) and a private ATM
switch
Private NNI (network-node interface) e.g. between private ATM
switches needed to support the ATM infrastructure
Public UNIspecification of the interface between the users
device and a provider of a public ATM service
Public NNIinterface between ATM switches in public carrier
networks.
Also referred to as B-ISSI (broadband inter-switching
system interface) when applied to the connection between
two public
switches of the same carrier Also referred to as B-ICI
(broadband inter-carrier interface) when applied to the
connection between two carriers networks
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ATM Cell

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ATM Cell

GFC ( Generic Flow Control): It is intended for control of a possible

bus system at the user interface and is not used at the moment.
VPI ( Virtual Path Identifier): The VPI contains the second part of the
addressing instructions and is of higher priority than the VCI.
VCI ( Virtual Channel Identifier): VCI in each case indicates a path
section between switching centers or between the switching center
and the subscriber.
PTI ( Payload Type Identifier): Indicates the type of data in the
information field.
CLP ( Cell Loss Priority): Determines whether a cell can be
preferentially deleted or not in the case of a transmission bottleneck.
HEC ( Header Error Control): Provided in order to control and, to
some extent, correct errors in the header data that may occur. The
HEC is used to synchronize the receiver to the start of the cell.

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ATM Connection

There are two types of ATM connections

Virtual channels (VC)

Virtual path connections identified by virtual path identifiers (VPI)

Virtual channel connections identified by a combination of virtual path
and circuit identifiers (VPI and VCI)
are the basic unit that carry a stream of
ATM cells from one user to another
are identified by a virtual channel identifier
can be configured statically as PVCs (permanent virtual circuits) that are
set up at network configuration time and dynamically as SVCs (switched
virtual circuits) that are dynamically configured on-demand
can be bundled together into virtual path connections

Virtual paths (VP)

contain one or more virtual channels

are identified by a virtual path identifier
are routed through a network as a single entity
can be used internally for bundling virtual circuits between switches
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ATM Cell Switching

ATM Network Node
User B

ATM Terminal
Cell and users
VPI=2 VCI=37
data change
each other
UNI

VPI=1 VCI=51

Port 1

ATM Switch

Port 2

Port
1
2

VPI
2
1

VCI
37
51

NNI

ATM Network Node

User A

Port 1

ATM Switch

Port 2

Port
1
2

ATM Terminal
Cell and users
UNI
data change
VPI=3 VCI=39
each other

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VPI
1
3

VCI
51
39

Signaling In ATM
Permanent Virtual Channel (PVC):
The connections are analogous to leased lines that are switched between
certain users. A change can only be made by the network provider. This
type of ATM network often forms the initial stage in the introduction of this
technology.

Switch Virtual Channel (SVC):

Users connected to this type of network can set
up a connection to the user of their own choice by means of signaling
procedures. This can be compared with the process of dialing a
telephone number.

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Types of ATM Virtual Connection

According to the switching mode, ATM Virtual
Connection can be classified :

VPC (Virtual Path Connection)

VCC (Virtual Channel Connection)

According to connection establishment, ATM Virtual

Connection can be classified:

SVC(Switching Virtual Connection)

PVC(Permanent Virtual Connection)

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VPC and VCC

ATM terminal A

VCC
VPC

UNI cell

E
UNI cell

UNI cell

ATM network node G

NNI cell

NNI cell

VC
switching

VP
switching

VC
switching

VCC

UNI cell

For example: When E receives cells from A or B, which would be

transferred to C or D, the VPI of these cells would be set to
uniform value in E. These cells would be received by G and
switched to F by VP switching. Then the cells will be delivered to
C or D at F. It means that VPC has been set up between E and F,
while VCC has been set up among A, B, C and D.
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Features of ATM
Voice
Data
Cells

Video

Connection oriented
Fast packet switching
Statistical multiplexer
Supports voice, data and video service
Provides QoS

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ATM Protocol Structure Model

Call connection
and Control

User information Flow

Control and Error Recovery
Interface Management
Layer Management

Control interface
Service and signaling
of user
Information of user
and cell conversion
Cell exchange and
multiplexing or
demultiplexing

Frame structure
physical medium

User interface

USER

USER

SAAL

AAL

Independent
management
of every layer

Impartible
management
of all layer

ATM Layer

Physical Layer

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Three Communications Planes

The user plane transports the user data for an

application. It uses the physical, ATM and ATM adaptation
layers to do this.

The control plane takes care of establishing, maintaining

and clearing down user connections in the user plane.
The key word here is signaling.

The management plane includes layer management and

plane management. Layer management monitors and
coordinates the individual layer tasks. Plane management
handles monitoring and coordination tasks in the network.
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ATM Sublayer Model

ATM Protocol Stack Model

OSI Reference Model

User
CS
Interface
manage
ment

SAR

7 Application
6 Presentation

AAL

5
ATM

Session

4 Transport
3

Network

Data link

Physical

TC

PHY
PMD

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Function of ATM Physical Layer

Two sublayers:
AAL

Transmission Convergence Sublayer

(TC)

ATM

PHY

transmission frame generation/recovery

Processing HEC (Header Error Control)
cell delimiting
transmission frame adaptation

Physical Medium Dependent Sublayer

(PMD)

Link coding
Network physical medium

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Function of ATM Layer

AAL
ATM
PHY

Cell switch

Quality of Service

Processing the cell header

Types of payload

Multiplexing /Demultiplexing of
different connection cell

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Function of ATM Adaptation Layer (AAL)

AAL
ATM

Support services for user

Segment and reassemble

Complete the change between

User-PDU and ATM payload

PHY

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Function of ATM AAL Overview

Function of ATM AAL:
Constant
Bit Rate

Data Variable
Bursts Bit Rate

Provide a high-speed,
low delay multiplexing
AAL SDU

and switching network

ATM Payload
ATM Cell

to support any type of

Multiplexing

voice, data,or video

user service, such as

applications.

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Types of AAL
Service type
Bit rate
Real time
Connection mode
AAL

constant variable variable variable

YES

YES

NO

Connection oriented
AAL1

AAL2

AAL3/4

NO
connectionless

AAL5

In order to support different types of user services, there are

five types of AAL.
AAL type 1meets the needs of class A services
AAL type 2meets the needs of class B services
AAL type 3/4-meets the needs of class C and D services
AAL type 5meets the needs of class D services
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Service Types of ATM layer

CBR (Constant bit rate)

Intended to support real-time applications requiring tightly
constrained delay variation (e.g. voice, video)
VBR-NRT (Variable bit rate-non real time)
Intended for non-real-time applications with bursty traffic (e.g.
multimedia-email)
VBR-RT (VBR-real time)
intended for real-time applications with bursty traffic (e.g.
compressed video/voice)
UBR (Unspecified bit rate)
Represents a best-effort service intended for non-real-time
applications that do not require tightly constrained delay or delay
variation and are tolerant to cell loss ( widely used today for
TCP/IP)
ABR (Available bit rate)
similar to UBR but enhanced to handle applications that require a
minimum bandwidth requirement (e.g. email and file transfer)
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(IP over ATM) IPOA Protocol Stack

User application

User application

TCP/UDP

TCP/UDP

IP

IP

AAL
ATM

IP packet is transferred to
ATM Payload
IP address is mapped to PVC
or SVC

AAL
ATM

ATM network Physical layer

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TCP/IP Process
TCP

TCP Header App Data

IP

IP Header TCP header App Data

SNAP/LLC
CS

LLC IP Header TCP Header App Data

LLC IP Header TCP Header App Data

PAD CPCS-PDU Tail

AAL5
SAR SAR-SDU#1

ATM
PHY

SAR-SDU#2

SAR-SDU#3

SAR-PDU#4

SAR-PDU#5

Cell header will be added to SAR-PDU, whose VPI and VCI depends on
the map table of IP address to PVC/SVC. Then ,the cells will be sent to
Physical Layer.
Perform the transmission of ATM cells via physical media.

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Thanks!

Technology changes but communication lasts.

DIT