Importance

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Abstract

In an asynchronous transfer mode switched network, a source terminal sends a burst of data cells and a control cell at periodic intervals through network nodes to a destination terminal. Each network node includes a first buffer and a second buffer, and incoming data cells are stored into the first buffer and incoming control cells are stored into the second buffer. A transmit controller is connected to the first and second buffers for forwarding cells in the first and second buffers in a downstream direction with priority given to the control cells in the second buffer over the data cells in the first buffer. A congestion detector is connected to the first buffer for writing a congestion indication into a control cell which is either stored in or forwarded from the second buffer when the first buffer is filled to a predetermined storage level. The destination terminal copies the congestion indication on receiving a control cell from the network and returns a control cell that contains the copied congestion indication toward the source terminal. On receiving a control cell containing the copied congestion indication, the source terminal reduces the data cell transmission rate.

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First Claim