A pipelined, multiprocessor architecture for a connectionless server for broadband ISDN

The direct provision of connectionless service in BISDN calls for servers that are connected to or are part of an ATM network to provide the routing function at input speeds up to 622 Mb/s. Routing is achieved in such a server by changing the VCI/VPI headers in the ATM cells; actual switching is done by existing switches in the ATM network. The paper presents an architecture capable of executing all the functions of a server at input speeds up to 622 Mb/s, scalable to multiple inputs at that speed, making use of processors and special hardware that are available today. To avoid storing large quantities of data, the architecture routes data packets by examining routing information in the initial cell of the packet and routing subsequent cells as they arrive rather than waiting until the complete packet has arrived. It is capable of handling packets that have been multiplexed at the SAR sublayer using AAL Type 3/4 and, with minor modifications, could also handle Type 5 traffic. Arguments are also presented for the use of AAL Type 5 for the direct connectionless service