Effective control for ABR multipoint-to-multipoint services

Abstract

Although many fl ow control schemes have been proposed for ABR (Available Bit Rate) multipoint-to-multipoint (mp-mp) services in ATM (Asynchronous Transfer Mode) networks, several issues re main to be resolved: bandwidth allocation defi nitions (BADs), and the effectiveness of those schemes. No consensus has been reached concerning the issue of criteria for allocating ABR band width among multipoint connections, or between point-to-point and multipoint connections. On the other hand, existing mp-mp fl ow control schemes implement only one BAD, namely source based allocation. This infl exibility can limit the application of those schemes. Moreover, our simulation results will show that they suffer from the problems of link under-utilization andlor non compliance with the selected BAD. We propose a mp-mp fl ow con trol algorithm, the FCAM 1 algorithm, that supports a large set of BADs, provides correct rate allocations with fast convergence, and maximizes link utilization. Experimental results are presented to demonstrate the above advantages of the FCAM algorithm.