ATM Networks

Course Overview

At a time when many corporate networks have reached their design limit, organisations are faced with contrasting options for expanding their networks: ATM, Fast Ethernet, Gigabit Ethernet and FDDI in the local area, then ATM, Frame Relay, Sonet/SDH, SMDS and others across the wide area. These networks all offer substantially different facilities. ATM can provide a single, scalable network solution to current and future network requirements, but there is much vendor hype, along with conflicting claims by vendors. This vendor-independent course provides an essential coverage of ATM network technologies, services and equipment. On completing the course you will understand the real benefits of ATM, and will be able to plan the integration of ATM into your existing networks.

Audience

All personnel responsible for planning, implementing or supporting ATM networks will find this course invaluable.

Skills Gained

You will be able to:

• Understand in detail the role and operation of ATM
• Select ATM equipment and WAN services
• Deploy ATM in your networks
• Integrate ATM with existing networks at the desktop and infrastructure
• Operate TCP/IP and other protocols in an ATM environment

Prerequisites

Delegates should have some practical experience of networking prior to attending the course. Course 301: Introduction to Datacomms and Networking, is recommended as a minimum level of experience.

Course Outline

Introduction

• Asynchronous vs isochronous communication
• Frames, packets and cells
• Congestion, flow control, error control
• Physical and virtual circuits
• Connection-oriented and connectionless communication

ATM development

• Associated technologies
• The need for ATM its markets
• Quality of Service
• The five categories of service
• Bandwidth on demand
• ATM-related standards
• Speed and addressing options
• The ATM/B-ISDN protocol stack
• User Plane, Control Plane and Management Plane
• User Network Interface (UNI)

ATM principles and operation

• Cells and cell segmentation
• The ATM header
• Transmission Paths
• Virtual Paths
• ATM PVCs
• The basic ATM cell
• Physical layer, PDH, SDH

ATM architecture

• ATM Layer, UNI, NNI and PNNI types
• ATM Switched Virtual Circuit operation
• ATM Meta Signalling
• ATM Signalling, Q.2931
• Quality of Service components and negotiation
• Leaky bucket and alternative algorithms

ATM Classes of Service

• Controlling delay and delay variation
• Accommodating bursty traffic
• The significance of signalling
• CBR, VBR-RT, VBR-NRT, ABR, UBR

ATM Adaptation Layer (AAL)

• Emulating circuits with AAL1
• Timing and clocking recovery
• SAR functions
• AAL user data types
• AAL service specific part
• AAL common convergence part AAL 2
• AAL 3/4
• AAL 5 (SEAL)

ATM Signalling

• Signalling ATM Adaptation Layer
• Call Set-up, Release
• ITU-T Q.2931 signalling, messages, Information Elements
• ATM Addresses
• PNNI Signalling and Routing
• PNNI Groups, Logical Networks, Transit Lists
• PNNI Messages

Network Management

• Operations, Administration and Maintenance (OAM)
• SNMP and ATM
• ILMI and ATM MIB
• uUME and nUME
• Address Registration
• Connectivity Monitor

Traffic Management

• Connection Admission Control
• Virtual Bandwidth
• Traffic Policing
• Usage Parameter Control
• Generic Cell Rate Algorithm
• Congestion Control (EFCI)
• Traffic Shaping
• Performance Parameters
• CLR, CDV, CTD, MCR, PCR, BT, SCR, CDVT

Other protocols and ATM

• LAN Emulation (LANE)
• BUS, LECS and LES
• Multi-Protocol Over ATM (MPOA)
• Encapsulating multiple protocols
• Segregating protocols using VCCs
• TCP/IP over ATM
• Frame Relay and other protocols over ATM

ATM switching

• ATM switch design
• Performance measurement
• Deploying ATM in the LAN

ATM services and equipment

• Review of mainstream ATM vendor equipment
• Review of national and international ATM network services