ATM network for high-speed data communication

This paper presents a new ATM-based high-speed data communication network architecture, called the Bit-Rate-Free (BRF) network, that can benefit from the statistical multiplexing of unpredictable, bursty data traffic. For efficient resource management, the BRF network does not allocate a bandwidth for each separate VCC (Virtual Channel Connection) according to the user's traffic descriptors but instead measures the aggregated cell stream of all VCCs connected in the same VP (Virtual Path). Such bandwidth management is realized by the dynamic CAC. In addition, BRF networks provide congestion control mechanisms that can cooperate with Dynamic CAC in assuring service quality.