A new multiplexor for B-ISDN connectionless data traffic

The authors present a new idea for multiplexing cell streams of data traffic which, by using a protocol to mark only some of the cells as discardable, reduces the number of messages corrupted and maintains the quality of service. A description is given of the function and uses of the cell loss priority (CLP) bit, with particular reference made to its use for marking which cells are potentially discardable within the multiplexor. A detailed description is given of the protocol proposed for controlling cell discards. Then some simulation experiments are described, based on a transputer array which is being used to assess the performance of the protocol. Finally the conclusions and areas of further study are described