Priority queueing strategies and buffer allocation protocols for traffic control at an ATM integrated broadband switching system

The problem of furnishing an asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) based broadband-ISDN (B-ISDN) with two bearer services supporting different grades of transfer quality is addressed. The focus is on priority bandwidth and buffer management in the ATM communications nodes (switches, multiplexers or concentrators, and expanders) in the context of a multichannel network architecture. Detailed queueing analyses and simulations and results are provided to evaluate the differentiation between traffic classes that can be achieved by different strategies. The implementation complexity of the different schemes is discussed. Various priority queueing strategies characterized mainly by different degrees of resource sharing and a general system model for performance evaluation are introduced. Performance comparisons and design tradeoffs are addressed