Department of Computer Science and Technology

Technical reports

System support for multi-service traffic

Michael J. Dixon

January 1992, 108 pages

This technical report is based on a dissertation submitted September 1991 by the author for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy to the University of Cambridge, Fitzwilliam College.

DOI: 10.48456/tr-245

Abstract

Digital network technology is now capable of supporting the bandwidth requirements of diverse applications such as voice, video and data (so called multi-service traffic). Some media, for example voice, have specific transmission requirements regarding the maximum packet delay and loss which they can tolerate. Problems arise when attempting to multiplex such traffic over a single channel. Traditional digital networks based on the Packet- (PTM) and Synchronous- (STM) Transfer Modes prove unsuitable due to their media access contention and inflexible bandwidth allocation properties respectively. The Asynchronous Transfer Mode (STM) has been proposed as a compromise between the PTM and STM techniques. The current state of multimedia research suggests that a significant amount of multi-service traffic will be handled by computer operating systems. Unfortunately conventional operating systems are largely unsuited to such a task. This dissertation is concerned with the system organisation necessary in order to extend the benefits of ATM networking through the endpoint operating system and up to the application level. A locally developed micro-kernel, with ATM network protocol support, has been used as a testbed for the ideas presented. Practical results over prototype ATM networks, including the 512 MHz Cambridge Backbone Network, are presented.

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BibTeX record

@TechReport{UCAM-CL-TR-245,
  author =	 {Dixon, Michael J.},
  title = 	 {{System support for multi-service traffic}},
  year = 	 1992,
  month = 	 jan,
  url = 	 {https://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/techreports/UCAM-CL-TR-245.pdf},
  institution =  {University of Cambridge, Computer Laboratory},
  doi = 	 {10.48456/tr-245},
  number = 	 {UCAM-CL-TR-245}
}