Threshold-based load balancing in an ATM switch consisting of parallel output buffered switch elements

We consider an ATM switch consisting of a number of output buffered ATM switch elements operating in parallel. The architecture considered in the paper may lead to uneven distribution of cells over the parallel switch element buffers. We propose a threshold based load balancing method to evenly distribute cells over the parallel switch element buffers. We present details of how the load balancing method can be implemented. Computer simulations show that the proposed load balancing method significantly reduces the cell loss probability. We also present a queueing model of the number of cells in the switch buffers.