Priority shaping of source traffic for ATM networks

Priority shaping of aggregate source traffic is proposed for use with policed virtual paths in asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) networks. The shaping function, located between the traffic sources sharing the path and the network edge, acts as a self-policing mechanism augmented by a form of priority service to assure satisfactory levels of cell loss and delay for traffic streams with differing service requirements multiplexed into a single virtual path. Two versions of the shape are proposed, and their interaction with a virtual path policed by a leaky-bucket mechanism is discussed. The problem of optimization of shaper design parameters is considered