Broadband ISDN resource management: the role of virtual paths

It is shown that virtual paths will be a substantial component of a resource management control hierarchy for the B-ISDN. Other components of this hierarchy include connection admission, usage parameter control, and reactive congestion control. An overview of this control hierarchy is provided. The role of virtual paths for cost-effective resource management and connection admission control in the B-ISDN is examined. Some strategies for reserving capacity on virtual paths are identified, and the use of virtual paths to simplify connection admission control is discussed. The reservation of capacity on virtual path connections is shown to result in substantial network cost savings for the case study considered.<>