Virtual paths with dynamic step sizes in ATM networks

The bandwidth of a virtual path in an ATM network is usually changed by a specific step at a time. However, the selection of the step site results in a trade-off between the normalized processing load and the transmission link utilization. We propose and analyze an adaptive bandwidth allocation scheme to select an appropriate step size. The bandwidth demand factor is proposed to reflect the expected bandwidth requirements and traffic conditions. Two criteria for the selection of the step size are proposed and analyzed. It is found that criterion I is always preferential. The results show that the transmission link utilization is further improved for small link capacity, even compared to the scheme with optimal fixed-step-size pair; the normalized processing load is decreased for large link capacity, without degradation in utilization