Quality of service guarantees: a challenge for ATM networks

Guaranteeing the quality of service (QoS) delivered to customers of large ATM networks is a major challenge facing network and service providers. The QoS demands of broadband service users and the performance monitoring needs of ATM network providers are discussed. The tools available to key international standards for a trying to meet this challenge are examined The solution proposed by the ATM Forum is outlined. Consideration of the requirements of public ATM networks leads to a discussion of the solution adopted by the ITU-T. The need for an interworking method between public and private network QoS solutions is recognised and one potential method is discussed