Patent ID: 6411627
Filing Date: 2002-06-25
Classification: H04L,H04Q

Abstract:
A method for controlled transfer of some or all traffic across an asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) network, said traffic including Class II cells, where Class II cells by definition are ATM cells that enter and flow across said ATM network on unresourced ATM virtual connections, said ATM network comprising a plurality of ATM switches coupled by links providing communication channels between said switches, each link having a sending end coupled to one of said switches from which a cell is sent and a receiving end coupled to another one of said switches which receives ea cell, each switch including a switching element having a switch buffer and, a plurality of inputs and outputs communicating with said switching element, each input having an associated input buffer, said method comprising the steps of:(a) sending a Class II cell on a particular link only when assurance exists at said sending end of said particular link of loss-free transfer of the cell to said input buffer at a switch at said receiving end of said link, thereby assuring loss-free transfer of Class II cells from switch to switch; (b) on arrival of a Class II cell at said input port of said switch at said receiving end of said link, placing said Class II cell in said input buffer of said input port, and (c) transferring said Class II cell from said input buffer of said input port of said switch at said receiving end to said switch buffer of said switch at said receiving end when, and only when, allowed to be so transferred by regulation, said regulation based on a count of Class II cells previously transferred from said input buffer to said switch buffer and not yet output from said switch at said receiving end of said link.