Archive-name: cell-relay-faq/part1 Last-modified: 1994/09/06 FAQ-Maintainer: Carl Symborski (carl@umd5.umd.edu) NOTE: This FAQ reflects cell-relay traffic through August. This article mostly contains general information but also answers to some Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) which are related to or have been seen in comp.dcom.cell-relay. It is posted to provide information of general interest to both new and experienced readers. This list includes answers to questions, which are loosely grouped into categories. Questions marked with a "+" are new in this issue; those with changes of content since the last issue are marked by "*": A) TOPIC: COMP.DCOM.CELL-RELAY BASIC INFORMATION A1) What is the CELL-RELAY group? A2) What is the archive site for this group? A3) Is there a parallel mailing list for this group? A4) * What other mailing lists are related to ATM? A5) + Where can I get the current version of this FAQ? B) TOPIC: INDUSTRY FORUMS AND VENDOR INFORMATION B1) * How can I contact the ATM Forum? B2) * What vendors are working on ATM technology? B3) What vendors are working on ATM hardware/chips? B4) What vendors are selling ATM test equipment? B5) Are there any ATM interface boards for PCs? B6) * Where are the ATM Forum's FTP sites and mailing lists? B7) * What vendors are selling ATM software? C) TOPIC: ATM REFERENCES C1) * What are some good getting started ATM references? C2) Where/What is the "Network Compatible ATM for LANs" document? C3) * Where are hosts with ATM related information? C4) * How can I get the ATM Forum's Interface Specifications? C5) * List of ITU-T Recommendations concerning ATM. C6) * Internet drafts from IETF working groups. C7) * ATM Tutorials. C8) Contact information for ANSI T1S1 specifications. C9) * Internet RFCs. C10)* ATM and Related Acronyms. C11) Where can I find the "Self Similar" Ethernet Traffic Study? C12) How can I get copies of ITU-T documents? D) TOPIC: ATM TECHNOLOGY QUESTIONS D1) What are the various ATM Access layers? D2) Are ATM cells delivered in order? D3) What do people mean by the term "traffic shaping"? D4) * What is happening with signalling standards for ATM? D5) What is VPI and VCI? D6) Why both VPI *and* VCI? D7) How come an ATM cell is 53 bytes anyway? D8) * How does AAL5 work? D9) * What are the diffferences between Q.93B, Q.931, and Q.2931? D10) What is a DXI? D11) What is Goodput? D12) What is LAN Emulation all about? D13) Information about the Classsical IP over ATM approach. D14) Classical IP and LAN/MAC Emulation approaches compaired. D15)+ Whats the difference between SONET and SDH? D16)+ What is ABR? E) TOPIC: ATM VS. XYZ TECHNOLOGY E1) How does ATM differ from SMDS? F) TOPIC: FREELY AVAILABLE REFERENCE IMPLEMENTATIONS F1) What and where is VINCE? G) TOPIC: FLAMES AND RECURRING HOLY WARS G1) Are big buffers in ATM switches needed to support TCP/IP? G2) Can AAL5 be used for connection-less protocols? If you have suggestions or corrections for any of these answers or any additional information, please send them directly to carl@umd5.umd.edu; the information will be included in the next revision (or possibly the one after that). This posting is intended to be distributed every few months. New versions are archived along with other comp.dcom.cell-relay traffic on cell-relay.indiana.edu. See subject A2 for instructions to access the archive. The information contained herein has been gathered from a variety of sources. Most derived from a consensus of postings on the group. A listing of contributors so far can be found at the end of the FAQ text. If you would like to claim responsibility for a particular item, please let me know. Enjoy! Carl Symborski | Had my hand on a dollar bill, carl@umd5.umd.edu | and the dollar bill blew away. | But the sun is shining down on me and its here to stay. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- TOPIC: A) TOPIC: COMP.DCOM.CELL-RELAY BASIC INFORMATION ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- SUBJECT: A1) What is the CELL-RELAY group? The purpose of this group is to provide a forum for the submission of articles and inquiries dealing with networks using Cell Relay as a transport; including local, metropolitan, and wide area networks. The name cell-relay was chosen as a compromise over objections to the name "ATM" during the creation of this group. The acronym ATM in the context of this group stands for Asynchronous Transfer Mode, not Automatic Teller Machines or Adobe Type Manager. The term "cell" in cell-relay is taken to mean a small, fixed sized, information bearing unit that provides the foundation for transport and multiplexing of user traffic. This topic area is not related to cellular phones or intra-cellular organisms. SUBJECT: A2) What is the archive site for this group? The archives for comp.dcom.cell-relay are available via anonymous ftp to cell-relay.indiana.edu as: /pub/cell-relay/archives/cell-relay/..... with subdirectories for each year, and group messages split out by month. I must point out that there is a wealth of other cell-relay related information in the /pub/cell-relay directory tree. If you have access to a Gopher client you should use it instead of ftp as we have set this server up to be *much* more friendly when using Gopher. For instance, when you use Gopher: /pub/cell-relay/docs/current/tenet.berkeley.edu/Mah93.txt becomes: A Mechanism for the Administration of Real-Time Channels. Users are encourged to use Gopher to access this information if possible. SUBJECT: A3) Is there a parallel mailing list for this group? A direct mailing list has been setup which is a mirror of the USEnet newsgroup comp.dcom.cell-relay. To send mail TO the list, send it to: comp.dcom.cell-relay@indiana.edu To un/subscribe, or send other notes to the list management, please use: cell-relay-request@indiana.edu SUBJECT: A4) * What other mailing lists are related to ATM? There are several lists described below. One is for an IETF group working on the issue of IP over ATM. This work is on going and primarily focused on that task. General ATM questions and blue-skying are inappropriate and discouraged by the members on the list. To send mail TO the list, send it to: ip-atm@matmos.hpl.hp.com To un/subscribe, or send other notes to the list management, use the address: majordomo@matmos.hpl.hp.com Related to cell-relay technology is the Distributed Queueing mailing list. The distributed queueing list is intended for discussion about protocol design, variants, extensions, associated with the use of DQ for arbitrating access to cells in shared-medium cell-relay networks. To send mail TO the list, send it to: dqlist@atri.curtin.edu.au To un/subscribe, or send other notes to the list management, use the address: dqlist-request@atri.curtin.edu.au Another IETF working group is working on the issue of general routing over networks (large clouds). As with the IP over ATM list it is best to subscribe with the intention to just "listen in". To send mail TO the list, send it to: rolc@maelstrom.timeplex.com To un/subscribe, or send other notes to the list management, use the address: rolc-request@maelstrom.timeplex.com Also of possible interest is the mailing list for the SMDS special interest group (SIG) Technical Committee. To send mail TO the list, send it to: smdstc@nsco.network.com To un/subscribe, or send other notes to the list management, use the address: smdstc-request@nsco.network.com SUBJECT: A5) + Where can I get the current version of this FAQ? Believe it or not, at least once a week someone writes to ask how to get the most recent copy of this FAQ. Apparently this text often reaches folks who do not have handy USENET or even FTP access! For those who do and are just unfamiliar with surfing the Internet, the most recent FAQ can be retrieved in several ways: Using Mosaic/WWW URL: gopher://cell-relay.indiana.edu/ Using Gopher: cell-relay.indiana.edu Note the above two ways will return the same gopher menu. Look in: 3. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) and More! 1. FAQ - ATM Allen Robel splits this FAQ up into its sections and "gopherizes" it. (Thanks Allen!) Or, you have the option of retrieving the complete FAQ. Also, be sure to check out the ATM Acronyms and the ATM Dictionary as they are starting to become useful (though still under construction). Another way to access this (though not preferred) is via FTP: ftp cell-relay.indiana.edu in the file /pub/cell-relay/FAQ/ATM-FAQ/ATM-FAQ.txt Good Luck! ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- TOPIC: B) INDUSTRY FORUMS AND VENDOR INFORMATION ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- SUBJECT: B1) * How can I contact the ATM Forum? Similar to the Frame Relay Forum, the ATM Forum is a pay to join forum with over 500 contributing and auditing companies. Membership includes many international companies. Some companies also participate in ANSI T1S1 and other standards bodies. Audit membership of the Forum is $1500/year. Those interested in joining the forum or needing additional information should contact: The ATM Forum 303 Vintage Park Foster City, CA 94404 ATM Info Line: +1 415 578-6860 ATM FAX Line: +1 415 525-0182 Email: atmforum_info@atmforum.com The ATM Forum also has a FAX-On-Demand service. Using this it is possible to get instructions, order forms, membership applications, etc. Just dial the number indicated above using a FAX phone and follow the instructions. Note that the minimal entry to the Forum is as an Auditing Member. Auditing Members are allowed access to the e-mail distribution lists to "audit" all documentation but are NOT ALLOWED to make comments. Please note that auditing members are not allowed to attend Technical and Market Commitee meetings, not allowed to vote on issues and not allowed to submit technical contributions. SUBJECT: B2) * What vendors are working on ATM technology? It is tough to get a number on this. Increasingly there are companies with hardware they can demonstrate. More who have made product announcements. Many more who have stated product intentions. Some are building big central office switches, others smaller ones for the LAN market. Workstation vendors are working on ATM interface boards. Chip companies are working on ATM chip sets, etc. There are now software vendors advertizing protocol software stacks (Q.93B, etc.) suitable for inclusion in ATM products. Previously (in 1992) there was an attempt here to list most of the major players in the ATM arena. This was possible in 1992. At this time *everyone* is doing something or paying lip service to ATM. It is simply not practical to keep a fair and accurate list here in this FAQ. Some postings on the cell-relay list (Fall 1993) attempted to again list the current vendors developing and/or selling equipment in this technology area. As predicted, these partial lists exceeded 40 vendors! A good source for ATM Product information is "Communications Week", May 23, 1994, pp 66-80, titled, "Lineup - A Product Guide to ATM: Buying ATM Gear? Caveat Emptor". This lists 20 ATM switches along with many interesting characteristics (including pricing). There is also a list of 33 ATM adapters with similar information. Also, there is a growing list of ATM product vendor information building up in the cell-relay directory at indiana.edu. See Subject A2 and C3 for general information about the cell-relay archives. SUBJECT: B3) * What vendors are working on ATM hardware/chips? As with ATM technology vendors, the number of companies developing board level components is growing and soon will be hard to track. Best bet is to check the vendor information in the cell-relay directory. See Subject A2 and C3 for general information about the cell-relay archives. For starters however, there is a group in North America working on low-cost SONET-based ATM physical layer chips for local nets using optics and twisted pair interfaces. This group is called the Saturn Development Group, and consists of PMC-Sierra, Sun Microsystems, Ungermann-Bass, Bell-Northern Research, Interphase, Optical Data Systems, SynOptics Communications, Themis Computer, BBN, MPR Tetltech, the University of British Columbia, and maby others. PMC-Sierra, Inc. 8501 Commerce Court Burnaby, BC Canada V5A 4B3 604-668-4300 Adaptive has designed an ATM/AAL chipset for use in equipment (computer, workstation, router, etc.) which connects to an ATM network. That chipset is now licenced to two chip manufacturers, TranSwitch and National Semiconductor. The TranSwitch product is called SARA and consists of a segmentation chip and reassembly chip. Together they can form the basis of an ATM/AAL controller which can process up to 8000 packets simultaneously at speeds of up to 155.52 Mbit/s. The chip set implements BISDN adaptation layers AAL3/4 and AAL5 in addition to supporting constant bit rate (CBR) traffic. Presumably the National Semiconductor product is similar. TranSwitch Corporation 8 Progress Drive Shelton, CT 06484 Tel: 203-929-8810 Fax: 203-926-9453 Fujitsu makes a 4 x 4 switch element chip set (MB86680), a framing chip for SONET (MB86683), a single chip SAR (MB86686), and a CAM chip which can be used for routing with the switch (MB86689). Note that there ARE other ATM/AAL chipsets out there, besides the Adaptive design, now that the industry is rolling. Other vendors include Brooktree (Boulder, CO (303) 494-4484) and Integrated Telecom Technology (IgT) which both have ATM UNI chips and other cool ATM chips. Integrated Telecom Technology, Inc. 18310 Montgomery Village Avenue Suite 300 Gaithersburg, Maryland 20879 Tel: 301-990-9890 Fax: 301-990-9893 SUBJECT: B4) What vendors are selling ATM test equipment? There exist already a number of vendors that have ATM test equipment available. To name a few: 1. ATM-100, Wandel & Goltermann Tel.: +49 7121-862143 Fax.: +49 7121-862054 2. ATM Test Tool, Siemens AG Tel.: +49 30-386-4173 7077 Fax.: +49 30-386-7934 The Siemens tool is the same as the Wandel & Goltermann tool 3. HP 75000 Series 90 ATM Analyzer, contact your local Hewlett Packard sales office 4. HP Broadband Series protocol test system, IDACOM Telecom Division, Hewlett Packard (Canada) Ltd. Edmonton, Alberta Canada T6E 5R6 Tel.: +1-800-661-3868 +1-403-462-4545 Fax.: +1-403-462-4869 5. Alcatel 8643 ATM Traffic Generator Analyzer, and Alcatel 8640, Alcatel STR, Tel.: +41 1 4652860 Fax.: +41 1 4652319 or Alcatel Network Systems Inc., Richardson, TX Tel.: +1 214-996-5000 Fax.: +1 214-996-5409 6. Adtech AX/3000 ATM Cell Data Generator, AX/3010 DS3 ATM Cell Data Generator 1814 Algaroba St, Honolulu HI 96826 Tel.: (808) 941-0708 Fax.: (808) 946-1300 This list is provided for information purposes only. There is no implied claim that this list is correct or complete. SUBJECT: B5) Are there any ATM interface boards for PCs? National Semiconductor has an ESIA ATM card (Vicksburg DP8300VK) which will be available in November 1993. NET will resell the board. Also, at the August 1993 Interop IBM was demonstrating their PS/2 based ATM cards. SUBJECT: B6) * Where are the ATM Forum's FTP sites and mailing lists? The ATM Forum is a members only organization. It is a pay to join forum and only members have direct access to Forum activities and documentation. There are *NO* open FTP sites and *NO* open e-mail lists. However, the ATM Forum does have WWW access located at: http://www.atmforum.com/ SUBJECT: B7) * What vendors are selling ATM software? Several software vendors have been mentioned on this list over the past few months. Three that come to mind are: 1) Trillium signalling software product (310-479-0500, Bob Musselwhite) 2) Bellcore's signalling software product called Q.PORT 3) Cellware Broadband Communications GmbH signalling software product called CELL-Q.2931. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- TOPIC: C) ATM REFERENCES ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- SUBJECT: C1) * What are some good getting started ATM references? Generally it is impossible to pick up any communications related technical journal, conference, or trade publications and not find something about ATM. Most of what has been written in the 1985 through 1990 time frame primarily deals with the application of ATM to Broadband ISDN. These provide the foundation on which other applications of ATM have been based and therefore should not be over looked. Without a doubt, if you are at all serious about learning ATM, the best references are the series of specifications developed by the ATM Forum. These are the: o ATM User-Network Interface Specification, Ver 3.0, September 10, 1993 o The ATM Forum BISDN Inter Carrier Interface (B-ICI) Specification, Ver 1.0 August, 1993 The ATM Forum's DXI specification is also useful. See subject C4 for ways to obtain these documents. Note that because of the pace of ATM standardization, reference books rapidly become out-of-date. Specifically, there have been major changes to the specification of the AALs subsequent to the publication of these books and articles. However, the following references do offer a good base of background information. Note, see also subject C7 for ATM Tutorials. --General: "Data Communications Special Guide", IEEE Spectrum, 8/91, p.22. o Hi-level overview of high-speed lans, wans, bisdn, atm, with glossary and bibliography. IEEE Communications Magazine, April 1992, VOL. 30, NO. 4 o This is a special issue with six articles on gigabit networks technology. "Cell Relay Switching", Data Communications, 9/91, p.58. o Looks at cell relay and switching in general, not just ATM. Rainer Handel and Manfred Huber. "Integrated Broadband Networks: An Introduction to ATM-Based Networks". Addison-Wesley, 1991. ISBN 0-201-54444-X. --ATM: "Overview of ATM Networks: functions and procedures", Computer Communications, 12/91, p.615. o Cell headers, bit definitions and the like. 33 References, including good list of CCITT recommendations. "Broadband ISDN and Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM)", IEEE Communications, 9/89. o Describes most of the jargon as well as the paradigm and unresolved issues. One point to note is that the article is fairly old (1989) and some things have changed. For example, the ATM cell headers described are no longer valid. "Asynchronous Transfer Mode: Solution for Broadband ISDN", Martin de Prycker, Ellis Horwood, New York, 1991. ISBN 0-13-053513-3 o See Martin's more recent book below. "Asynchronous Transfer Mode", Martin De Prycker, Ellis Horwood, New York 1993, ISBN 0-13-178542-7. o Very readable general description of the technology and optimization. Even though its recent some of the details have changed AND the book is NOT long on details. Also, this is primarily an ITU-oriented (telecomm services) view of ATM, not an ATM Forum-oriented view (CPE), I believe. "Gigabit Networking", Craig Partridge, Addison-Wesley, Reading MA, 1993, ISBN 0-201-56333-9. o Very well written book. Craig is the Editor of "IEEE Network" magazine. Topics: fiber optics, cell networking, ATM, Gbps packet schemes, applications, host interface, higher protocols, bandwidth management and performance, distributed systems, etc. "ISDN and Broadband ISDN", William Stallings, second edition "ISDN", Gary Kessler, McGraw-Hill, Second Edition, 1993. --SWITCH FABRICS: These papers offer a fast jump start on ATM switch architectures, design issues and tradeoffs. H. Ahmadi and W. Denzel, "A Survey of Modern High-Performance Switching Techniques", IEEE J on Selected Areas in Comm, Vol. 7, No. 7, Sept 1989, p. 1091-1103 F. Tobagi, "Fast Packet Switch Architectures for Broad-band Integrated Services Digital Networks", Proceedings of IEEE, Vol. 78, No. 1, Jan. 1990 p. 133-167 Joseph Y. Hui, "Switching and Traffic Theory for Integrated Broadband Networks", Kluwer Academic Publishers, 1991, ISBN 0-7923-9061-X o A back to basics text book explaining core switching concepts like batcher/banyon, clos, min, buffering, etc. Technical journals ================== IEEE Network IEEE Communications IEEE Journal on Selected Areas in Communications IEEE Transactions on Communications IEEE/ACM Transactions on Networking Computer Communication Review (by ACM SIGCOMM) Computer Communications Computer Networks and ISDN Systems IEICE Transactions on Communications Journal of High Speed Networks Magazines ========= Communications Week Data Communications Open Systems Today Lightwave (the leading-edge magazine for the fiber-optics industry) SUBJECT: C2) Where/What is the "Network Compatible ATM for Local Network Applications" document? "Network Compatible ATM for Local Network Applications", V1.01, October 19, 1992. A proposal for a 150 Mb ATM LAN from Apple, Bellcore, Sun and Xerox. Available in standard postscript and compressed standard postscript from: thumper.bellcore.com: /pub/nclatm/nclatm.ps /pub/nclatm/nclatm.ps.Z ftp.apple.com: /pub/latm/nclatm.ps /pub/latm/nclatm.ps.Z parcftp.xerox.com: /pub/latm/nclatm.ps /pub/latm/nclatm.ps.Z SUBJECT: C3) * Where are hosts with ATM related information? Here's a list of sites that that seem to cater to the ATM/broadband/real-time continuous-media crowd: cc-hw.bbn.com Rec_I_cls.ps, Rec_I_cls.hqx icsi-ftp.Berkeley.EDU Research, Continuous media wuarchive.wustl.edu Research, ATM Hardware datanet.tele.fi Standards drafts (see below) nsco.network.com HIPPI gregorio.stanford.edu IP Multicast cell-relay.indiana.edu cell-relay archives, etc. (see below) thumper.bellcore.com Standards drafts, etc (see below) If you have ftp access, ftp to cell-relay.indiana.edu as user anonymous and look in /pub/cell-relay for: 1) In /pub/cell-relay/bib A bibliography of ATM research. This includes several to reference books and LOTS of citations. 2) In /pub/cell-relay/docs Some papers on ATM-related topics, standards, etc. 3) In /pub/cell-relay This FAQ list! 4) In /pub/cell-relay/conferences A bunch of files describing upcoming conferences (Special thanks to Allen Robel for hosting this list and archive.) Additionally, there are some draft standards, RFCs, technical papers, etc. on ATM available at datanet.tele.fi in the directory called /atm The collection includes draft AAL5 CCITT standards. This is a general good place to look. Similarly, at thumper.bellcore.com in the /pub directory a lot of standards related documents can be found. SUBJECT: C4) * How can I get the ATM Forum's Interface Specifications? The ATM Forum has produced a document called the User-Network Interface specification. This document applies to both the "Private UNI" between an ATM user and a private ATM switch, and also a "Public UNI" between a private ATM switch or a user and the public network. The specification contains information on the ATM bearer services, physical level interface options, local network management, traffic, and signalling for both the private and public UNIs. For those which are not ATM Forum members, hard copies will be available for purchase at book stores and direct from Prentice Hall. This specification is due to be published by Prentice Hall on 12/15/93 and will cost $34. It can be backordered now. To do this call 1-800-374-1200 and ask for the following book: Title: ATM User-Network Interface Specification (V3.0 is not in the title; it's the First Edition) Author: ATM Forum ISBN: 0-132-25863-3 Prentice Hall can also be contacted over the Internet at ftp.prenhall.com The ATM Forum's DXI and B-ICI specification can be ordered directly from the ATM Forum. Call the ATM Forum information line for ordering information. See also subject B1. SUBJECT: C5) * List of ITU-T recommendations concerning ATM This list is provided for informational purposes only. No guarantee as to its completeness or correctness. Also, although they are not formally published, many of the following recommendations have been substantially updated since first published. =ITU-T Recommendations Concerning ATM = E.164 Numbering plan for the ISDN era 11/91 G.707 Synchronous digital hierarchy bit rates 04/91 G.708 Network node interface for the synchronous 06/92 digital hierarchy G.709 Synchronous multiplexing structure 06/92 I.113 B-ISDN Vocabulary of Terms 04/91 I.121R Broadband Aspects Of ISDN 04/91 I.150 B-ISDN asynchronous transfer mode functional 06/92 characteristics I.211 B-ISDN service aspects 04/91 I.311 B-ISDN General Network aspects 06/92 I.321 B-ISDN protocol reference model and its 04/91 application I.327 B-ISDN functional architecture 04/91 I.361 B-ISDN ATM layer specification 06/92 I.362 B-ISDN ATM adaptation layer (AAL) functional 04/91 description I.363 B-ISDN ATM adaptation layer (AAL) specification 06/92 (AAL1, AAL2, AAL3/4, AAL5) I.413 B-ISDN user-network interface 04/91 I.432 B-ISDN user-network interface - Physical layer 06/92 specification I.610 OAM principles of the B-ISDN access 06/92 Also, there are draft recommendations yet to be published (or I am just not sure of their status): I.35B BISDN ATM Layer Cell Transfer Performance, 1992 I.363 Temp Doc 10 (XVIII) 'AAL Type 5 , Draft Recommendation text for ssection 6 of I.363" 06/93 I.364 Temp Doc 58 (XVIII) 'Support of Broadband Connectionless Data Service on B-ISDN' 06/92 I.365.1 Frame Relaying Service Specific Convergence Sublayer (FR-SSCS) 06/93 I.371 Temp Doc 64 (XVIII) 'Traffic Control and Congestion Control in B-ISDN' 05/92 I.555 Frame Relaying Bearer Service Interworking 06/93 Q.2931 B-ISDN User-Network Interface Layer 3 Specification for Basic Call/Bearer Control, 04/93 Q.931 ISDN user-network interface layer 3 specification for basic call control 05/92 Q.933 Digital Subscriber Signalling Systems No. 1 (DSS 1) Signalling Specification for Frame Mode Basic Call Control 05/92 G.804 Which describes the mapping of ATM cells into PDH links at 1.544, 2.048, 6.312, 34.368, 44.736, 97.728, 139.264 Mb/s (Jan 1993) The following Q.SAAL documents are also germane: Q.2100 "BISDN Signalling ATM Adaptation Layer Overview Description" Q.2110 "BISDN Signalling ATM Adaptation Layer - Service Specific Connection Oriented Protocol (SSCOP) Q.2130 "BISDN Signalling ATM Adaptation Layer - Service Specific Coordination Function for Support of Signalling at the User-to-Network Interface (SSCF at UNI)" SUBJECT: C6) * Internet drafts from IETF working groups. Various work items of the IP over Asynchronous Transfer Mode Working group and other working groups of the IETF currently available include: draft-brazdziunas-ipng-atm-00.txt draft-ietf-atm-address-resolve-00.txt draft-ietf-atm-address-translation-00.txt draft-ietf-atm-framework-doc-00.ps draft-ietf-atm-framework-doc-00.txt draft-ietf-atm-nbma-01.txt draft-ietf-ipatm-sig-01.txt draft-ohta-ip-over-atm-01.txt draft-ietf-rolc-nhrp-02.txt draft-ietf-atommib-atm-06.txt draft-ietf-atommib-sonet-04.txt Internet-Drafts are available by anonymous FTP. Internet-Drafts directories are located (as officially designated by the IETF folks) at: o US East Coast ds.internic.net (198.49.45.10) o US West Coast ftp.isi.edu (128.9.0.32) o Pacific Rim munnari.oz.au (128.250.1.21) o Europe nic.nordu.net (192.36.148.17) Internet-Drafts are also available by mail. Send a message to: mailserv@ds.internic.net. In the body specify the filename requested. For example type: "FILE /internet-drafts/draft-ietf-atmommib-atm-07.txt". For questions on how to obtain Internet Drafts, please mail to Internet-Drafts@cnri.reston.va.us SUBJECT: C7) * ATM Tutorials. The following ATM tutorials are available via anonymous FTP. Machine: ftp.magic.net Path: pub/magic File: ip-atm.ps (PostScript) ip-atm.ps.Z (Compressed PostScript) The focus of this paper is running IP over ATM, but there is an extensive tutorial on ATM, followed by discussion IP over ATM networks. Machine: datanet.tele.fi Path: atm/articles File: atm-intro.txt This paper is also a good starting point. And a the following publically available paper is a good start: "The Asynchronous Trnasfer Mode: A Tutorial" by Jean-Yves Le Boudec in Computer Networks and ISDN, Vol 24, No 4, May 1992, pp 279-309 Additionally there are reasonable tutorials available from three commercial communications companies. Specifically: 1. "ATM In Private Networking", Anthony Alles, Hughes LAN Systems, Spring 1993 This was handed out at the Spring 1993 Interop for free. Contact Hughes LAN Systems, Inc., 1225 Charleston Road, Mountain View, CA 94043. Phone: (415) 966-7330 Fax: (415) 960-3738 (Note no guarentee that they will send out a copy.) 2. "Asynchronous Transfer Mode: Bandwidth for the Future", Jim Lane, Telco Systems, 1992. To order a free copy simply call 1-800-447-2537 3. "Broadband Testing Technologies", (a HP Seminar Handbook), Hewlett- Packard Company, February 1993, Document number 5091-6902E Call your local HP sales office and or contact the HP IDACOM Test division. The inside cover claims this document costs $10. Additionally, Ameritech and the other Bell companies publish a pamphlet called "ATM Today" anad another called "SMDS Today". You can call (800) TEAM-DATA for copies. ATM Forum has an ambassador program whereby they provide informative speakers to the networking community regarding various aspects of ATM. Ambassadors represent the ATM Forum and present ATM technology in a non vendor specific manner. Ambassadors can discuss firsthand current activities in the ATM Forum. Topics include: - Why ATM - Introduction to ATM - Intermediate ATM - ATM in the public WAN - Signalling 3.0 - Traffic Management 3.0 - B-ICI - Network Management - LAN Emulation Contact the ATM Forum for more information. SUBJECT: C8) Contact information for ANSI T1S1 specifications. These documents can be obtained directly from the Secretariat for the ANSI T1 Telecommunications committee. Exchange Carriers Standard Association 1200 G. Street N.W. Suite 500 Washington, D.C. 20005 All orders and requests for quotations on prices must be in writing. Their FAX number is: (202) 393-5453 SUBJECT: C9) * Internet RFCs The following RFCs are available related to cell-relay technology. RFC 1483: Multiprotocol Encapsulation over ATM Adaptation Layer 5 RFC 1577: Classical IP and ARP over ATM RFC 1626: Default IP MTU for use over ATM AAL5 RFC 1695: Definitions of Managed Objects for ATM Management Version 8.0 using SMIv2 SUBJECT: C10) * ATM and Related Acronyms These are a few acronyms which tend to appear in postings, RFCs, standards and other text related to the cell-relay topic area. AAL ATM Adaptation Layer ABR Available Bit Rate ATM Asynchronous Transfer Mode B-ICI Broadband Inter Carrier Interface B-ISUP Broadband ISDN User Part (used in B-ICI) BISDN Broadband Integrated Services Digital Network CBR Constant Bit Rate CLP Cell Loss Priority (as in CLP bit) CIR Committed Information Rate (since you list SIR) CPCS Common Part Convergence Sublayer CS Convergence Sublayer (as in CS_PDU) DXI Data Exchange Interface (as in ATM DXI) GFC Generic Flow Control HEC Header Error Control ILMI Interim Local Management Interface LE LAN Emulation LEC LE Client LEH LE Header LES LE Server MTP3 Message Transfer Part Level 3 (used in B-ICI) NLPID Network Layer Protocol ID NNI Network Node Interface NSAP Network Layer Service Access Point PDU Protocol Data Unit PLCP Physical Layer Convergence Procedure PTI Payload Type Identifer PVC Permanent Virtual Circuit QOS Quality of Service SAAL Signalling AAL SAR Segmentation and Reassembly (as in SAR_PDU) SDH Synchronous Digital Hierarchy SDU Service Data Unit (as in AAL_SDU) SIR Sustained Information Rate SMDS Switched Multi-Megabit Data Service SNAP SubNetwork Attachment Point (see IEEE 802.1a) SNI Subscriber Network Interface SONET Synchronous Optical Network SS7 Signalling System Number 7 (related to B-ICI) SSCF Service Specific Coordination Function (used with SSCOP in SAAL) SSCS Service Specific Convergence Sublayer SSCOP Service Specific Connection Oriented Protocol SVC Switched Virtual Circuit UBR Unspecified Bit Rate UNI User to Network Interface VBR Variable Bit Rate VC Virtual Channel (not circuit) VCC Virtual Channel Connection VCI Virtual Channel Identifier VP Virtual Path VPC Virtual Path Connection Here are a few five dollar words which sometime come arise in this topic area. Plesiochronous: Signals which are arbitrarily close in frequency to some defined precision. They are not sourced from the same clock and so, over the long term, will be skewed from each other. Their relative closeness of allows a switch to cross connect, switch, or in some way processs them. That same inaccuracy of timing will force a switch, over time, to repeat or delete frames (called frame slips) in order to handle buffer underflow or overflow. Synchronous: Signals that are sourced from the same timing reference. These have the same frequency. (Contrast with Plesiochronous signals) Asynchronous: Signals that are sourced from independent clocks. These signals generally have no relation to each other and so have different frequencies and phase relationships. (Contrast with Plesiochronous signals) Isochronous: Signals which are dependant on some uniform timing or carry their own timing information embedded as part of the signal. SUBJECT: C11) Where can I find the "Self Similar" Ethernet Traffic Study? FTP site for article 'Self Similar Nature of Ethernet' is: thumper.bellcore.com:/pub/wel SUBJECT: C12) How can I get copies of ITU-T documents? You can buy these on paper from the ITU: ITU Place des Nations CH-1211 Geneva 20 Switzerland. The fax number of the sales office is +41 22 730 5194. They are also available commercially from at least 2 sources in the U.S.: Information Gatekeepers in Boston, MA (1-800-323-1088) Phillips Publishing (1-800-OMNICOM) Phillips usually has documents in stock & has fast delivery. Online access is limited. Some postings suggested telnet to: ties.itu.ch / 156.106.4.75 or chi.itu.ch / 156.106.4.16 Others suggest using gopher because that is what they are using. For gopher you'll need to use info.itu.ch if you want to use a local gopher client. ties and chi will refuse connections to port 70. You can also get copies of ITU documents using their auto-answering mailbox. Send mail to itudoc@itu.ch with GET ITU-4313 in the message body to get information how to get the documents, including I.363, that you want. Alternatively, send e-mail to itudoc@itu.ch with the single line HELP in the body of the message. That will get you information on the ITU's automatic mail server. Essentially you send a message to the above address with GET ITU-nnnn in the body, where nnnn is the document identifier number that you get by asking for ITU-1100, which is the index to the ITU I. series, including I.363. ITU-4313 also has directions how to use gopher: Name=International Telecommunications Union (ITU) Host=info.itu.ch Port=70 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- TOPIC: D) ATM TECHNOLOGY QUESTIONS ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- SUBJECT: D1) What are the various ATM Adaptation layers? In order for ATM to support many kinds of services with different traffic characteristics and system requirements, it is necessary to adapt the different classes of applications to the ATM layer. This function is performed by the AAL, which is service-dependent. Four types of AAL were originally recommended by CCITT. Two of these have now been merged into one. Also, within the past year a fifth type of AAL has been proposed. Briefly the four ATM adaptation layers (AAL) have/are being defined: AAL1 - Supports connection-oriented services that require constant bit rates and have specific timing and delay requirements. Example are constant bit rate services like DS1 or DS3 transport. AAL2 - Supports connection-oriented services that do not require constant bit rates. In other words, variable bit rate applications like some video schemes. AAL3/4 - This AAL is intended for both connectionless and connection oriented variable bit rate services. Originally two distinct adaptation layers AAL3 and 4, they have been merged into a single AAL which name is AAL3/4 for historical reasons. AAL5 - Supports connection-oriented variable bit rate data services. It is a substantially lean AAL compaired with AAL3/4 at the expense of error recovery and built in retransmission. This tradeoff provides a smaller bandwidth overhead, simpler processing requirements, and reduced implementation complexity. Some organizations have proposed AAL5 for use with both connection-oriented and connectionless services. A recent document which describes these (except AAL2) with frame formats is: "Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) and ATM Adaptation Layer (AAL) Protocols Generic Requirements", Bellcore Technical Advisory, TA-NWT-001113, Issue 1, August 1992. This can be obtained by writing to: Bellcore Document Registrar 445 South Street - Rm. 2J125 P.O. Box 1910 Morristown, NJ 07962-1910 SUBJECT: D2) Are ATM cells delivered in order? Yes. The ATM standards specify that all ATM cells will be delivered in order. Any switch and adaptation equipment design must take this into consideration. SUBJECT: D3) What do people mean by the term "traffic shaping"? Here is an explicit definition of traffic shaping followed by brief tutorial. Note that a variety of techniques have been investigated to implement traffic shaping. Reference the literature for keywords such as "leaky bucket", "congestion", "rate control", and "policing". Definition: Traffic shaping is forcing your traffic to conform to a certain specified behavior. Usually the specified behavior is a worst case or a worst case plus average case (i.e., at worst, this application will generate 100 Mbits/s of data for a maximum burst of 2 seconds and its average over any 10 second interval will be no more than 50 Mbit/s). ---End of part 1/2---