An update on ATM traffic management

Abstract

The Traffic Management (TM) group at the ATM Forum has been fairly focused on developing a new service called guaranteed frame rate (GFR) service. This service is expected to be positioned as an intermediate alternative between the available bit rate (ABR) service, which uses a closed-loop feedback control framework, and the unspecified bit rate (UBR) service, which provides no assurances whatsoever. The motivation for GFR service comes from the perceived need for frame-based minimum rate guarantees. The article gives an update on the status of the GFR service definition, as well as other topics discussed in the ATM Forum.