Local Reconfiguration of ATM Virtual Path Connection Networks

Abstract

Modern communication networks based on SDH/SONET or ATM can construct logical end-to-end connections between all origin-destination (O-D) pairs and thus create fully meshed logical networks upon sparse physical networks. Such logical connections are known as virtual path connections (VPCs) and a logical network formed by VPCs is known as a VPC network (VPCN). We have developed an efficient algorithm called XFG to compute optimal VPCNs for carrying multiservice traffics. The XFG algorithm needs to know the call arrival intensities between all O-D pairs. These data may not always be available. We have therefore developed a local reconfiguration algorithm to augment the XFG algorithm. The local algorithm makes use of data which are likely to be available in real networks. A call arrival at an O-D pair potentially triggers a local reconfiguration which affects only those routes that either connect the O-D pair or which use the physical link which connects the O-D pair. The information necessary to calculate the reconfiguration is kept locally at the O-D pair.

We present simulation experiments which apply local reconfiguration to a model of a small ATM network. The initial experiments indicate that the local reconfiguration algorithm performs well on the network model under investigation.

The second and third authors of this work were supported by the the South African National Research Foundation Grant No. 2034100, Telkom SA Limited and Siemens Telecommunications. The fourth author was supported by the Australian Research Council Grant No. A69702505.