title: Design and modeling of an interval-based ABR flow control protocol
abstract: A novel flow control protocol is presented for availability bit rate (ABR) service in asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) networks. This scheme features periodic explicit rate feedback that enables precise allocation of link bandwidth and buffer space on a hop-by-hop basis to guarantee maximum throughput, minimum cell loss, and high resource efficiency. With the inclusion of resource management cell synchronization and consolidation algorithms, this protocol is capable of controlling point-to-multipoint ABR services within a unified framework. The authors illustrate the modeling of single ABR connection, the interaction between multiple ABR connections, and the constraints applicable to flow control decisions. A loss-free flow control mechanism is presented for high-speed ABR connections using a fluid traffic model. Supporting algorithms and ATM signaling procedures are specified, in company with linear system modeling, numerical analysis, and simulation results, which demonstrate its performance and cost benefits in high-speed backbone networking scenarios
keyphrases: design modeling interval-based ABR flow control protocol periodic explicit rate feedback maximum throughput minimum cell loss high resource efficiency flow control decisions loss-free flow control mechanism high-speed ABR connections fluid traffic model signaling linear system modeling numerical analysis simulation high-speed backbone networking scenarios availability bit rate service ATM networks link bandwidth allocation buffer space allocation resource management cell synchronization algorithms resource management cell consolidation algorithms point-to-multipoint services