Managing a connectionless virtual overlay network on top of an ATM network

An overlay network on top of the asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) is proposed as a flexible way of supporting connectionless services. The transport infrastructure of the overlay network, built around the virtual path concept, and more specifically the control infrastructure for managing this overlay, is described. The bandwidth resources in the overlay network are monitored in order to allow a flexible adaptation of the overlay network configuration according to changing connectionless traffic demands. These monitoring data are also used to compute in real-time the least-cost path to route the connectionless traffic in the overlay. The monitoring function is performed in a background process in order not to burden the control and to lower response times. The proposal shows a self-contained connectionless overlay network which offers the flexibility of ATM and the connectionless routing efficiency of current computer communication networks