DYCAT - A flexible transport system architecture

The author discusses the importance of redesigning network protocol architectures in order to support the growing variety of new applications distributed across a multiplicity of communication systems interconnected by numerous heterogeneous networks. The strategy is to describe quality of service (QOS) demands as well as actual (if possible) network characteristics in a periodically actualized performance and functional information base (PFIB). Using this information, a local decision is feasible to start the connection establishment phase with a specified preconfigured protocol profile or not. The decision is based on the caching of an X.500 database which informs the sender about the capabilities of the most frequented receivers. The syntax and semantics of the Xpress Transfer Protocol (XTP) are proved to be suitable for the realization of a highly modularized implementation of the transport system.<>