Service integration issues on an ATM DQDB MAN

Metropolitan Area Network (MAN) technology has now reached a degree of maturity as far as the transport of connectionless services is concerned. In the near future, attention will therefore focus on the transport of connection-oriented services using the asynchronous technique, with a view towards the total integration of such networks with Broadband Integrated Services Digital Networks (B-ISDN). In such a context, this paper investigates the main problems associated with the use of a Distributed Queue Dual Bus (DQDB) MAN for the integrated transport of voice, video and data services, using only the asynchronous access mode. A network architecture containing functional blocks which perform adaptation functions for connection-oriented services is proposed, and results obtained by simulation of the Queued Arbitrated access protocol when the offered load derives from both constant and variable bit-rate sources are presented. © 1994.