A reliable wireless ATM system

Abstract

This paper describes the design of reliable wireless Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) System to be used by the U.S. military and the commercial marketplace. This system, called Survivable ATM, consists of three main components: (1) Transmission Error Control System (TECS), (2) Reliable ATM Adaptation Layer (AAL), (3) Network Management System. These three components deliver a set of previously unavailable capabilities to achieve and maintain reliable performance of commercial ATM technology in wireless environments. These components collectively provide reliable end-to-end operation of ATM communication systems in deployed wireless terrestrial and satellite networks. At the data link layer, the TECS dynamically selects data link packet length and the strength of Forward Error Correction (FEC) coding. The result of this adaptive error control mechanism allows for the maximum utilization of bandwidth for wireless terrestrial and satellite communication systems. Higher performance can be achieved by pushing down the error correction lower on the protocol stack. The Reliable AAL, referred to as AAL X, provides for residual error recovery during cases of ATM congestion, where the TECS cannot detect this type of condition. Environments with limited bandwidth capabilities, such as the U.S. military, can truly benefit from the Survivable ATM System.