A performance comparison of cell-based local area networks

Abstract

Recently, the deployment of Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) technology in the Local area (ATM LANs) has received much attention. Such interest is motivated by the simplifications offered in supporting ATM in the local area, which may result in rapid deployment of ATM-based Broadband Integrated Services Digital Networks (B-ISDN). Cell-based LANs, viz. ATM LANs, provide efficient bandwidth utilization and error recovery, as well as simplified priority implementation. We compare the performance of three cell-based LAN alternatives: the Distributed Queue Dual bus (DQDB) [1], Asynchronous Transfer Mode Ring (ATMR) [2] and switch-based ATM LANs employing ATM switches [3]. We develop a versatile simulation model which is used to study the merits of each alternative.