RFC 2098 (rfc2098) - Page 1 of 18

Toshiba's Router Architecture Extensions for ATM : Overview

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Network Working Group                                        Y. Katsube
Request for Comments: 2098                                    K. Nagami
Category: Informational                                        H. Esaki
                                                     Toshiba R&D Center
                                                          February 1997


      Toshiba's Router Architecture Extensions for ATM : Overview

Status of this Memo

   This memo provides information for the Internet community.  This memo
   does not specify an Internet standard of any kind.  Distribution of
   this memo is unlimited.

Abstract

   This memo describes a new internetworking architecture which makes
   better use of the property of ATM.  IP datagrams are transferred
   along hop-by-hop path via routers, but datagram assembly/disassembly
   and IP header processing are not necessarily carried out at
   individual routers in the proposed architecture.  A concept of "Cell
   Switch Router (CSR)" is introduced as a new internetworking
   equipment, which has ATM cell switching capabilities in addition to
   conventional IP datagram forwarding.  Proposed architecture can
   provide applications with high-throughput and low-latency ATM pipes
   while retaining current router-based internetworking concept.  It
   also provides applications with specific QoS/bandwidth by cooperating
   with internetworking level resource reservation protocols such as
   RSVP.

1.  Introduction

   The Internet is growing both in its size and its traffic volume. In
   addition, recent applications often require guaranteed bandwidth and
   QoS rather than best effort.  Such changes make the current hop-by-
   hop datagram forwarding paradigm inadequate, then accelerate
   investigations on new internetworking architectures.

   Roughly two distinct approaches can be seen as possible solutions;
   the use of ATM to convey IP datagrams, and the revision of IP to
   support flow concept and resource reservation.  Integration or
   interworking of these approaches will be necessary to provide end
   hosts with high throughput and QoS guaranteed internetworking
   services over any datalink platforms as well as ATM.

   New internetworking architecture proposed in this draft is based on
   "Cell Switch Router (CSR)" which has the following properties.



Katsube, et. al.             Informational
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