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Asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) is one option available to maximize bandwidth. ATM offers a range of full duplex transmission rates from 1.5 Mbps to over 2.4 Gbps, with most current development work concentrating on the 622 Mbps node and lower. This protocol offers key advantages in the deployment of a switched network topology. Primarily, ATM has the ability to handle multiple channels and data types simultaneously throughout the network.
ATM is the first high speed network technology to implement well defined traffic management and flow control techniques, and the TI HyperSAR+ is the first industry implementation of traffic management. TI's approach will be to continue to leverage this competency in bandwidth and bandwidth management to other high speed network technologies, including high speed Ethernet and LAN switching products. This bandwidth management competency is the result of extensive research efforts in TI's networking research laboratories, and will also have application in other future high bandwidth networking products.
To address the effective use of bandwidth, the ATM Forum Traffic Management Working Group approved closed loop available bit rate (ABR) flow control in its Traffic Management 4.0 specification. The ITU-T (formally the CCITT) subsequently approved a similar specification, I-371 Traffic Control and Congestion Control in Broadband ISDN (ATM). The ATM Forum has defined five categories of traffic management services. ABR is the only category that provides a feedback mechanism. This allows the receiver to inform the source of the available bandwidth, and dynamically adjusts the source sending rate, assuring more efficient network utilization.
Now that traffic management 4.0 has been approved, ATM equipment manufacturers are looking at ways to introduce ABR traffic management into their next generation products. Texas Instruments is including ABR traffic management as part of its ThunderCELL line of ATM silicon solutions. The HyperSAR+ chipset, consisting of the TNETA1575 high-performance segmentation and reassembly device and the TNETA1585 traffic management scheduler, provides ATM equipment manufacturers a cost effective path to full ABR compliance.
The HyperSAR+ high performance SAR is backwards compatible with ThunderCELL's HyperSAR™ (TNETA1570). Furthermore, it provides additional features over the TNETA1570, such as a low operating voltage(3.3 volts) and efficient use of SRAM, and high performance at a lower cost of ownership. TI's traffic management scheduler implements full ABR traffic management, and allows the HyperSAR+ chipset to efficiently transport bursty data along with constant bit rate video and audio traffic.
In many network designs, ATM operates on the backbone, connecting to existing Ethernet or Token Ring LANs. TI's new HyperSAR+ chipset facilitates this connection as well as providing support for local area network (LAN) emulation.
One requirement for LAN emulation is the need for many simultaneously active connections. The chipset's traffic management scheduler supports up to 2,048 simultaneously active ABR channels. The 2048 channel solution is a cost effective price point to serve this market.
Today, TI's leading-edge technology and manufacturing strength provide the broadest selection of IC products available to the networking industry. The ThunderNET architectural approach to networking, including its ThunderLAN™, ThunderSWITCH™, ThunderCELL and ThunderRING™ product families, provide MIS managers and networking OEMs with simplicity of design and ease of upgrade, giving them a freedom of choice in the protocols and technology they implement. All of these factors are making TI the leading IC supplier to the networking industry.
Trademarks:
HyperSAR, HyperSAR+, ThunderCELL, ThunderNET, ThunderLAN, ThunderSWITCH,
and ThunderRING are trademarks of Texas Instruments Incorporated.
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