A second‐generation BISDN prototype

Abstract

AbstractHigh‐speed packet switching techniques enable broadband networks to efficiently transport and switch services of varied characteristics. Fixed‐length packets, or cells, are carried within a slotted frame structure. This form of transport is now known as asynchronous transfer mode (ATM). A broadband ATM‐based network can be described in terms of a small set of cell manipulation primitives. These primitives are described and partitioned into hardware modules. The modules may be interconnected in a variety of fashions for construction of broadband network prototypes. A configuration that implements broadband integrated access is described.