ViAA - a virtual ATM API for arbitrary layer 2 access networks
The situation in current local area networks is mostly characterized by dedicated Ethernet access for the desktops and more and more by ATM in the backbone and WAN area as a fast transport technology. Other features of ATM like quality-of-service (QoS) are not accessible by the desktops. ViAA provides the desktops which have no native ATM network access with the possibility of taking advantage of the ATM features in the backbone if they are connected to an ATM edge device via any layer 2 technology. In order to deliver the QoS features of ATM to the desktops there are already two approaches. The first approach from Cornell University is called Cells-in-Frames (CIF) the second is the Frame-UNI (FUNI) proposed by the ATM-Forum. As CIF and FUNI are low-level approaches and implement different amounts of ATM functionality on the endsystems the ViAA approach is on a higher level of abstraction and of lower complexity. This approach provides the endsystem with a native ATM programming interface instead of reproducing any part (e.g. signaling) of the ATM functionality. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
atm api quality of service