A broadband virtual path SONET/ATM self-healing ring architecture and its economic feasibility study

An asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) virtual path (VP) ring architecture using point-to-point VPs and its economic viability, as compared to present SONET/synchronous transfer mode (STM) ring architectures, are discussed. The ATM VP ring architecture can use existing SONET standard self-healing schemes and protocols for its service protection. A case study indicated that the ATM VP ring architecture may be a cost-effective option for implementing the distributed ring grooming system at the DS1 level, and the cost savings may be significant (up to 26-39% in the case study) when the distributed ring grooming scheme lowers the ring capacity requirement to some transmission line rate breaking point.<>