IBM 8265 ATM Backbone Switch software architecture

The IBM 8265 ATM Backbone Switch is the latest switch in the family of IBM ATM switches, designed for building large scale and reliable ATM network backbones. Two articles on the IBM 8265 ATM Backbone Switch are provided in this journal, describing the hardware architecture and the software architecture separately. This article describes the functions of the ATM Operating System and the ATM Multi-protocol Switched Services that run inside the IBM 8265 ATM switch. The focus is given to issues that are not addressed by the ATM Forum, and extensions that are needed when building ATM networks.