Approaches to simulation of ATM networks and exchanges using distributed processing techniques

The authors consider two related simulation applications, exploiting the concurrency inherent within systems, using a network of transputers. The first application is a distributed simulator for modelling the operation of an ATM switch architecture which uses a matrix of buses. The switch is decomposed into its component elements which are treated as distinct processes and placed upon separate transputers. To overcome the limiting connectivity of transputers, special routeing processes are introduced. The second application is designed to model subsets of ATM based telecommunications networks. It is primarily a distributed queueing network simulator which exploits independence between spatially separate events to process them concurrently. Although the simulator is written in OCCAM, it allows differing system topologies to be modelled without resorting to recompilation of the simulator program