Network transparency: the plaNET approach

Asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) is being suggested as the basis for future high speed, universal networks. A key requirement for future ATM networks will be transparency, i.e. for the network to alter or manipulate the user information as little as possible. A transparent transport mechanism, plaNET, based on extensions of the current ATM standard and IBM´s earlier PARIS technology, is proposed. It is shown how plaNET can satisfy the universal transport requirement of ATM, while avoiding some demonstrated deficiencies. In fact, plaNET could be viewed as an enhanced version of ATM that may be more suitable for the late 1990s than the current standard