Dynamic rate control scheduling for ATM switches

High-speed networks of the future must be able to support traffic with a wide range of characteristics and quality-of-service (QoS) requirements. In an ATM switch, the order in which buffered cells are served plays a crucial role in determining QoS. This paper proposes a new approach to cell scheduling in an ATM switch based on dynamic rate control. Dynamic rate control scheduling provides minimum rate guarantees, flexible distribution of unused bandwidth and internal switch congestion control in a switch with multiple bottleneck points. The paper develops the principles of dynamic rate control scheduling and discusses its application to ATM switches.