ATM Basics

Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) is a high-speed packet switching network technology industry standard. ATM networks have been deployed because they offer the ability to transport voice, data, and video signals over a single system. The flexibility that ATM offers incorporates both circuit and packet switching techniques into one technology, creating a variable transport network solution with simple network processing functions. ATM Basics provides an understanding of how the systems operate and the applications that use ATM systems. ATM has become the world standard that is used to interconnect telephone and data networks. This book covers the operation of ATM systems and it explains why ATM switching is much faster than other types of packet data networks such as TCP/IP. You will learn that ATM standards include ATM adaptation layers (AAL) that define how to connect ATM systems to other types of communications networks such as voice and IP networks. Explained are the processes that are used to monitor and control different levels of quality of service (QoS). You will discover that ATM packets can be sent over a many types of physical links including wireless, optical, coax, and copper lines. ATM provides for different services including CBR, VBR, and ABR. ATM services provide key applications including PVCs, SVCs, VDT, LANE, and IP. If you are involved in telephone networks, computer networks, cable television networks, wireless networks or other telecommunications systems and equipment, ATM is almost certainly part of your system and you need to understand how it works and what it can do.