Protocol and Interface for ATM LANs

Abstract

This paper describes the design and performance of a simple ATM host interface for a RISC workstation together with the MSNA protocol architecture. A feature of the MSNA architecture is that it can provide ATM virtual circuits directly to applications by demultiplexing to a degree normally associated with the transport layer of a protocol stack. We discuss implementations of the ATM adaptation layer of varying complexity and discuss the appropriate place for the adaptation layer to be terminated in a multimedia workstation.