Virtual Circuit

Switching:
Frame Relay
and
ATM
 Virtual Circuit Switching
Global Addressing

Virtual Circuit Identifier

Three Phases

Data Transfer Phase

Setup Phase

Teardown Phase
Virtual circuit wide area network
VCI
VCI phases
Switch and table
Source-to-destination data transfer
SVC setup request
SVC setup acknowledgment
Frame Relay
Architecture

Frame Relay Layers

FRAD

VOFR

LMI
Frame Relay network
 Note:

VCIs in Frame Relay are called

DLCIs.
Frame Relay layers
 Note:

Frame Relay operates only at the

physical and data link layers.
Frame Relay frame
 Note:

Frame Relay does not provide flow or

error control; they must be provided
by the upper-layer protocols.
Three address formats
FRAD
ATM
Design Goals

Problems

Architecture

Switching

Layers
Multiplexing using different frame sizes
 Note:

A cell network uses the cell as the

basic unit of data exchange. A cell is
defined as a small, fixed-sized
block of information.
 Why 53 Bytes?
• The effect of delay on packet voice influenced
selection of cell size
• The packetization delay grows with the cell size
– @64kbps: packetization delay = cell size * 125
µsec
• If delay is too long, echo cancellation equipment
needs to be introduced
• Europe has short transmission lines and no echo
cancellers so it proposed 32 byte payload
• U.S. has long transmission lines and echo
cancellers in place, so it proposed 64 byte payload
• Compromise: 48 byte payload
Multiplexing using cells
ATM multiplexing
Architecture of an ATM network
TP, VPs, and VCs
Example of VPs and VCs
 ATM Permanent Virtual
Connections
Operator at
Network Control Center

ATM ATM
Switch Switch

• Operator “manually” sets up VPI/VCI tables at

switches and terminals
• Long set-up time, long-lived connections
ATM Switched Virtual Connections

ATM ATM
Switch Switch

• Terminals and switches use pre-defined VPI/VCI

to setup connections dynamically, on-demand
• Signalling protocol used to communicate with
call-processing system
 Note:

Note that a virtual connection is

defined by a pair of numbers:
the VPI and the VCI.
Connection identifiers
Virtual connection identifiers in UNIs and NNIs
An ATM cell
Routing with a switch
 ATM Networking

Voice Video Packet Voice Video Packet

ATM ATM
Adaptation Adaptation
Layer Layer

ATM Network
ATM layers
ATM layers in endpoint devices and switches
ATM layer
ATM headers
 AAL converts Info into Cells
Voice

A/D AAL
s1 , s2 … cells
Digital voice samples

Video

A/D … Compression AAL

cells
compressed
picture
frames
frames

Data AAL
Bursty variable-length cells
packets
 AAL Protocol Structure
Higher Layers AAL has two sublayers:
• Segmentation &
Service Specific Reassembly
Convergence
Sublayer – Segments PDUs into cell
payloads; Reassembles
Convergence
PDUs from received cell
AAL Sublayer payloads
Layer Common Part
• Convergence
Segmentation – Common Part: packet
and framing and error detection
Reassembly functions required by all
Sublayer AAL users
– Specific Part: functions
ATM that depend on specific
requirements of AAL user
classes
 AAL1 services
• Structured & Unstructured Transfer
– Unstructured: take bits from T1 and group
into 8-bit bytes; since T1 frame has 193 bits,
bytes are never aligned to frame
– Structured: take 24 T1 bytes and map into
CS PDUs; use CS PDU pointer to indicate
beginning of T1 frame
• Forward error control options:
1. Insert parity cell every 15 cells, correct lost
cell
2. Interleaving of 124 cells, correct up to 4 cell
losses
 AAL1
4 bits 4 bits 8 bits 46 or 47 octets
Pointer
SN SNP Payload
optional
• Convergence Sublayer:
– Adaptation to cell-delay variation, constant bit rate delivery
AAL-SDUs
– Detection of lost or out-of-sequence cells
– Source clock recovery
– Forward error correction on user data
– Forward error correction on Sequence Number (SN)
• 1-bit CS to indicate pointer (used for partially-filled cells)
• 3-bit sequence count
– Time-stamp option uses 4 consecutive CS bits for residual
TS
• SAR: Add 1-byte header to 47-byte payload
AAL1
 AAL1 PDUs
SAR PDU header

CSI Seq. Count SNP

1 bit 3 bit 4 bits

4 bits 4 bits 46 or 47 octets

Pointer
SN SNP Payload
optional
8 bits

AAL 1
Pointer
1 Byte 46 Bytes

CS PDU with pointer in structured data transfer

 AAL2
• New AAL2 intended for bandwidth-efficient transfer of
low-bit rate, short-packet traffic with low-delay
requirement
• Adds third level of multiplexing to the VP/VC hierarchy of
ATM, so low-bit-rate users can share an ATM
connection.

Mobile
AAL
switching
2 ATM cells office

Low bit rate

Short voice packets
AAL2
 AAL2 Common Part CS PDU
• Max length CPCS PDU
– 64 bytes
CID (8 bits) • Channel ID
CPS packet PPT – Identifies user
LI (6 bits)
header (2 bits) • Length Indicator
UUI (3 bits) HEC (5 bits) – Payload length – 1
• Packet payload type
– 3: OAM cell
– ≠3: application cell
Payload • User-to-user indication
– End-to-end info for
application cells
– End-to-end for AAL
mgmt when OAM cell
• Error detection
– g(x)=x5+x2+1
 Packing ATM SDU in AAL2
• CPCS PDU’s concatenated, segmented into 48 byte
chunks, and packed into ATM SDU’s
• ATM SDU format: • Offset Field (6 bits)
– From end of the
Cell Header field to start of
first CPCS PDU
or to start of PAD
Start field (STF) SN P – Max CPCS PDU
OSF (6 bits) (1 bit) (1 bit) may span 2
SDUs
• Sequence Number
– 0 or 1
• Parity bit
CPS-PDU • PAD
payload – 0-47 bytes

PAD
 AAL3/4
• Why 3 / 4 ?
– AAL3: For connection-oriented transfer of data
– AAL4: For connectionless transfer of data
• All connectionless packets use the same VPI/VCI at the UNI
• Multiplexing ID (MID) introduced to distinguish connectionless packets
• AAL3 and AAL4 combined into AAL that can be used for
connection-oriented or connectionless transfer
• AAL3/4 allows multiple users to be multiplexed and
interleaved in the same ATM VC
– Message mode: single user message segmented into ATM
payloads
– Stream mode: one or more messages segmented into ATM
payloads and delivered without indication of boundaries
– Assured mode: error-free delivery of messages
– Non-Assured mode: messages may be delivered in error, or
not at all
AAL3/4
 AAL3/4 Common Part CS PDU

User Data

Header Trailer

CPI Btag BASize CPCS - PDU Payload Pad AL Etag Length

1 1 2 1 - 65,535 0-3 1 1 2
(bytes) (bytes) (bytes)

• Common Part Indicator • Buffer Allocation size:

– How subsequent fields are to
be interpreted
• Beginning Tag & Ending Tag
– Used to match header & trailer
at destination
– Buffer size required at destination
• Length: of payload
• PAD: aligns trailer to 32-bit
boundary
• Alignment: byte of 0s to make trailer
32 bits long
 AAL3/4 SAR PDU
Header Trailer
(2 bytes) (2 bytes)

ST SN MID SAR - PDU Payload LI CRC

2 4 10 44 6 10
(bits) (bytes) (bits)

• Segment Type • MID allows SAR sublayer multiplexing

– 10 Beginning of Message
– 00 Continuation
– 01 End of Message
– 11 Single segment Message
• Sequence Number
– Of SAR PDU within CPCS PDU
– Up to 210 AAL users on 1 ATM VC
• Length Indicator: size of payload
– Except for last cell, all cells have LI=44
– Last cell has LI = 4 to 44
• Each cell payload has 10-bit CRC
 Multiplexing in AAL3/4
Higher layer P1 P2
Assume two packets
from different users

Service specific MID = a MID = b

convergence
sublayer

Common part Each packet is

CPCS CPCS segmented separately.
convergence and
SAR SAR SAR PDUs identified
SAR sublayers
by MID.
… …
SPDUA2 SPDUB2
SPDUA1 SPDUB1
Interleaver

Cells from two

Interleaved cells
ATM layer packets are
interleaved.
 AAL3/4 Overhead
• 8 bytes added to each message at CPCS
sublayer
• Each ATM payload has 4 out of 48 bytes
additional overhead
• 9 bytes out of 53 ATM cell bytes overhead
• Too much overhead!
• Let to development of AAL5
AAL5

Simple
Comprehensive Sequencing and Error control
Efficient mechanisms provided by AAL3/4 are not required by
many applications for such applications AAL5 (SEAL)
has been designed.
Adaptation
Layer
 AAL5 Common Part CS PDU
Information Pad UU CPI Length CRC

0 - 65,535 0-47 1 1 2 4
(bytes) (bytes)

• User-to-User: 1 byte
• CPI aligns trailer to 8 bytes
• Length: 2 bytes to indicate length of CPCS PDU
payload
• 40-byte CRC
 Summary of AAL Capabilities

Sublayer Feature AAL1 AAL2 AAL3/4 AAL5 SAAL

SSCS Forward Error Control optional optional optional optional no
ARQ no no optional optional SSCOP
Timing Recovery optional optional no optional no
CPCS Multiplexing no 8-bit CID 10-bit MID no no
Framing Structure yes no no no no
Message Delimiting no yes yes PTI PTI
Advance Buffer Alloc no no yes no no
User-to-User no 3 bits no 1 byte no
Indication
Overhead 0 3 bytes 8 bytes 8 bytes 4 bytes
Padding 0 0 4 bytes 0-44 byte 0-47 byte
Checksum no no no 32 bit 32 bit
Sequence Numbers no no no no 24-bit
SAR Payload/Overhead 46-47 byte 47 bytes 44 bytes 48 bytes 48 bytes
Overhead 1-2 bytes 1 byte 4 bytes 0 bytes 0
Checksum no no 10 bits no no
Timing Information optional no no no no
Sequence Numbers 3-bit 1 bit 4 bit no no
 Examples: Voice and Video
• Voice • CBR MPEG2 Video
– AAL1 for individual – Timing recovery at
PCM voice calls AAL or at MPEG
– AAL1 with structured systems layer?
transfer for nx64 kbps – Error detection &
– AAL2 for low-bit-rate correction at which
cellular voice layer?
– AAL5 for inexpensive – Timing recovery at
voice MPEG2 systems level
and AAL5 over CBR
ATM was selected
 Benefits of ATM
• Network infrastructure and management
simplified by using a single transfer mode for the
network
– Expected to cover LAN, MAN, and WAN
• Extensive bandwidth management capabilities
– SONET-like grooming capabilities, but at arbitrary
bandwidth granularities
• ATM is not limited by speed or distance
limitations
– 50-600 Mbps the sweet spot for ATM
• QoS attributes of ATM allow it to carry voice,
data, and video thus making it suitable for an
integrated services network.
(End of Unit One)