3G Platform

ATM Basics
Training Document

CTXX 5600Issue 2.0 en © Nokia Networks Oy 1 (21)

 ATM Basics

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 Contents

Contents

1 Objectives..............................................................................................4

2 ATM technology.....................................................................................5

3 ATM connection.....................................................................................7
3.1 ATM virtual connections..........................................................................7

4 ATM cell..................................................................................................9
4.1 Fields in the ATM cell header.................................................................11

5 ATM as a transport network...............................................................12

5.1 Network elements involved in the transport of user plane
information............................................................................................13
5.2 Example of Nokia ATM cross-connect...................................................15

6 Statistical multiplexing.......................................................................16

7 Review questions................................................................................17

Abbreviations......................................................................................19

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 ATM Basics

1 Objectives
After completing this module, the student should be able to:
 Describe the main characteristic of an ATM network in terms of function
and capacity as opposed to more traditional methods.
 At an overview level, explain how the ATM connection is structured and
how routing is achieved in an ATM network.
 List the ATM interfaces in 3G network.

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 Review questions

2 ATM technology
Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM), also known as cell relay, is a fast packet
switching and multiplexing technology. ATM was developed as part of the work
on broadband ISDN to support the universe of services (for example, voice,
data and video over public network).
Nowadays, ATM is extended for use over public and private network. In ATM
technology asynchronous multiplexing, is used which is more efficient than
synchronous multiplexing technologies, such as Time Division Multiplexing
(TDM).
With TDM, each user is assigned to a time slot or time slots, and no other
station can send in that time slot or those time slots. If a station has a lot of data
to send, it can send only when its time slot comes up, even if all other time slots
are empty. If, however, a station has nothing to transmit when its time slot
comes up, the time slot is sent empty and is wasted. With asynchronous
multiplexing nature, the ATM offers 'bandwidth on demand', that is, the user
traffic can be sent at any available time slot according to the agreement between
the user and the network.

A A

C B B A C B B A C B B A
B B B B Synchronous
Multiplexing
C C C C

A A

C C C B B A C B B A
B B B B Asynchronous
Multiplexing
C C C C

Figure 1. Synchronous and asynchronous multiplexing

ATM is a connection-oriented, error-detecting protocol. It does not offer error

correction. These responsibilities are shifted to the end user. The advantages are
increased speed of switching and elimination of associated delay.
ATM provides efficient support for transmission of bursty wideband services
and offers an integrated solution to voice (circuit mode as well as packet voice),
data, and video. It provides quality of service (QoS) guarantee and reliability.

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 ATM Basics

ATM utilises statistical multiplexing to take advantage of the inherently bursty

nature of applications. For a group of bursty connections, less bandwidth can be
reserved than if bandwidth reservation would be based on the peak rate of the
connections. Achieved transmission cost savings are considerable.
The fundamental strategy behind ATM is to split the information into small
fixed-size units, called 'cells', that are easy to handle. The fixed size of the cell
allows efficient switching. ATM networks allow statistical multiplexing (that is,
multiplexing of many connections with variable rate characteristics), which
altogether reduces the overall bandwidth requirements.

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 Review questions

3 ATM connection
ATM is a connection-oriented technique. The end-to-end route is defined
through the network in the beginning of the connection and that remains the
same throughout the connection. ATM cells are routed on the same route to both
directions. This guarantees that the cells arrive in the receiving end in the same
order that they are sent. Furthermore, cell delay variation is also minimised.

3.1 ATM virtual connections

Virtual connections (VC) are used for providing connectivity between
communicating endpoints. There are two types of ATM connections:
 Virtual Channel Connection (VCC)
 Virtual Path Connection (VPC).
Each ATM cell contains a label in its header to explicitly identify the VC, to
which the cell belongs. This label consists of two parts: Virtual Channel
Identifier (VCI) and Virtual Path Identifier (VPI).
Virtual Channel Connection (VCC) is a logical connection in ATM.
Virtual Channel Identifier (VCI) identifies a particular VC link under a given
VPC. A specific value of a VCI is assigned each time a VC is switched in the
network. Hence, it has only local meaning.
Virtual Path Connection (VPC) is a logical grouping of VCCs having the
same endpoints. Thus, all the cells flowing in a single VPC are switched
together. Virtual paths are used for bundling a number of virtual channels into a
higher bandwidth stream routed through ATM switches. That is, cross-
connection and switching can be done on a higher level and not on individual
VCC level.
Virtual Path Identifier (VPI) identifies a group of VC links at a given
reference point that share the same VPC. A specific value of a VPI is assigned
each time a VP is switched in the network.
Transmission path is a bundle of VPs. The following figure shows the relation
among VCs, VPs and a transmission path.

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 ATM Basics

VC VP
Transmission path

VC VP

Figure 2. Relation between a transmission path, VPs and VCs

Virtual paths help to reduce the control cost by grouping connections that share
common paths through the network into a single unit. Network management
actions can then be applied to a small number of groups of connections instead
of a large number of individual VCC connections.

Virtual Path Connections (VPCs) have many advantages:

Simplified network architecture

Network transport functions can be separated into those related to individual
logical connections (VCC) and those related to a group of logical connections
(VPC).

Increased network performance and reliability

The network deals with fewer, aggregated entities.

Segregation of traffic
A form of priority control can be implemented by segregating traffic types
requiring different quality of service (QoS).

Reduced processing and short connection setup time

Much of the work is done when the VPC is set up. By reserving capacity on a
VPC in anticipation of later call arrivals, new VCCs can be established by
executing simple control functions at the end points of the VPC; no call
processing is required at transit nodes. Thus, the addition of new VCCs to an
existing VPC involves minimal processing which decreases the connection
setup delay.

Enhanced network services

The VPC is used internally in the network but is also visible to the end user.
Thus, the user may define closed user groups or closed networks of VC bundles.

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 Review questions

4 ATM cell
The user traffic is split and delivered in fixed length packets called ATM cells.
The size of the cell is 53 bytes, which is divided into a 5-byte header and a
48-byte payload field. The ATM cell is relayed by a label at the header:
Virtual Channel Identifier (VCI) and Virtual Path Identifier (VPI).

53 bytes

Header Payload
5 bytes 48 bytes

Figure 3. ATM cell structure

There are two formats of an ATM cell (depending on the type of the interface):
 ATM UNI (User-Network Interface) cell, that is used for
communication between ATM endpoints and ATM switches.
 ATM NNI (Network-Node Interface) cell, that is used for
communication between ATM switches.

For ATM interfaces in 3G network, User-Network Interface (UNI) refers to the

interface between terminal equipment and a network termination where access
protocols apply. The interface between a RNC and a WCDMA BTS is seen as
an UNI interface.
Network-Node Interface (NNI) is the interface between two network nodes like
a RNC and an MGW.
Figure 4 shows the ATM interfaces between network elements in 3G network.

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 ATM Basics

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Figure 4. ATM interfaces in 3G network

There is a slight difference between the first byte of the UNI and NNI header.
The NNI header does not include the Generic Flow Control (GFC) field.
Additionally, the NNI header has a Virtual Path Identifier (VPI) field that
occupies the first 12 bits, allowing larger trunks between public ATM switches.

8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
GFC VPI VPI
VPI VCI VPI VCI
Header VCI VCI
(5 bytes)
VCI PT CLP VCI PT CLP

HEC HEC

Payload Payload Payload

(48 bytes)

User Network Interface (UNI) Network Node Interface (NNI)

GFC Generic Flow Control PT Payload Type

VPI Virtual Path Identifier CLP Cell Loss Priority
VCI Virtual Channel Identifier HEC Header Error Control

Figure 5. Basic ATM cell format

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 Review questions

4.1 Fields in the ATM cell header

Generic Flow Control (GFC)

Provides local functions, such as identifying multiple stations that share a single
ATM interface. This field is typically not used and is set to its default value.

Virtual Path Identifier (VPI)

In conjunction with the VCI, identifies the next destination of a cell as it passes
through a series of ATM switches on the way to its destination.

Virtual Channel Identifier (VCI)

In conjunction with the VPI, identifies the next destination of a cell as it passes
through a series of ATM switches on the way to its destination.

Payload Type (PT)

Indicates in the first bit whether the cell contains user data or control data. If the
cell contains user data, the second bit indicates congestion, and the third bit
indicates whether the cell is the last in a series of cells that represent a single
AAL5 frame.

Cell Loss Priority (CLP)

Indicates whether the cell should be discarded if there is congestion in the
network. If the CLP bit equals 1, the cell should be discarded in preference to
cells with the CLP bit equal to zero.

Header Error Control (HEC)

Calculates the checksum only on the header itself. Any cell that fails the header
error check is instantly discarded by the network.

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 ATM Basics

5 ATM as a transport network

Nowadays transmission protocols of many telecommunication networks are
based on pulse code modulation (PCM). The switching is also based on the
switching of 64 or 56 kbit/s PCM connections. ATM is selected to be the
transport technology for 3G network especially in UTRAN and also at the Iu
interface in Release 99.
ATM provides efficient support for transmission of bursty wideband services
and offers an integrated solution to voice (circuit mode as well as packet voice),
data, and video. It provides QoS guarantee and reliability. It utilises statistical
multiplexing to take advantage of the inherently bursty nature of applications.
Less bandwidth can be reserved than if bandwidth reservation would be based
on the peak rate of the connections. Achieved transmission cost savings are
considerable.
In addition, ATM is able to support the soft handover functionality, which
requires the capability of fast connection setup and teardown in Wideband
CDMA (WCDMA), which is the radio interface technology for 3G.
In the 3G network, the radio network controller (RNC) is assigned the task of
radio resource management and handover control. When the mobile terminal
communicates with one BS, a connection is established from the Serving RNC
(S-RNC) node to the BS, where the connection is terminated. When in SHO, the
mobile terminal communicates with several BSs, and correspondingly several
SHO legs are established from the S-RNC node to the BSs currently in the
active set. In order for SHO to work seamlessly for the user, the transmission
path should be established quickly (for instance, in the range of 100 ms or less).
Specifically, because of the necessary radio level synchronisation between the
SHO legs, these connections are required to meet strict delay and jitter
requirements. This is a challenging task in the ATM network, since the
transmission capacity over the Iub and Iur interfaces is expensive, and
consequently it is required to achieve high Iub utilisation.

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 Review questions

5.1 Network elements involved in the transport of user

plane information
The following are the definitions of the network elements involved in the
transport of user plane information (from ITU-T I.311):

VP cross-connect is a network element, which connects VP links. It translates

VPI (not VCI) values and is directed by management plane functions  not by
control plane functions.
VC cross-connect is a network element, which connects VC links. It terminates
VPCs and translates VCI values and is directed by management plane functions
 not by control plane functions.
VP-VC cross-connect is a network element that acts both as a VP cross-
connect and as a VC cross-connect. It is directed by management plane
functions  not by control plane functions.
VP switch is a network element that connects VP links. It translates VPI (not
VCI) values and is directed by control plane functions.
VC switch is a network element that connects VC links. It terminates VPCs and
translates VCI values and is directed by control plane functions.
VP-VC switch is a network element that acts both as a VP switch and as a VC
switch. It is directed by control plane functions.

Routing functions of virtual channels are done at a VC switch/cross-

connect. This routing involves translation of the VCI values of the incoming
VC links into the VCI values of the outgoing VC links.

Figure 6 and Figure 7 show examples of VP and VC switching.

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 ATM Basics

Figure 6. VC and VP switching

Figure 7. VP switching

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 Review questions

5.2 Example of Nokia ATM cross-connect

Nokia ATM cross-connect (AXC) is an integrated transmission solution and
ATM cross-connect device for Nokia WCDMA base stations. Nokia AXC can
also function as a standalone network element. It interconnects different sectors
inside the BTS and connects the BTS to the radio network controller (RNC)
through the Iub interface. Moreover, it is capable of cross-connecting traffic
between other base stations and the RNC.
Nokia AXC serves as a virtual path (VP) and virtual channel (VC) cross-
connect device for permanent ATM connections.
Figure 8 shows the example of VP/VC cross connection table inside AXC.

RNC
VC1/VP1 THROUGH-CONNECTED IN AXC2
BTS 1 BTS 2
VC2 / VP2
VC1 / VP1
AXC AXC ATM
switch

VC1 / VP1

BTS 3 BTS 4
VC3, VC4 / VP4
VC3 / VP3
AXC Standalone
AXC
AXC

BTS 5
VC3, VC4, VC5, VC6 / VP7
VC5 / VP5
AXC

AXC / ATM switch

BTS 6 VC/VP CROSS-
CONNECTION TABLE
VC6 / VP6 VC3/VP4 <-> VC3/VP 7
AXC VC4/VP4 <-> VC4/VP 7
VC5/VP5 <-> VC5/VP 7
VC6/VP6 <-> VC6/VP 7

Figure 8. ATM cross-connect in 3G network

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 ATM Basics

6 Statistical multiplexing
Statistical multiplexing is one of the main benefits of ATM. Operators can
utilise statistical multiplexing to take advantage of the inherently bursty nature
of applications. Users of ATM networks generate numbers of cells according to
the amount of information they want to transfer. The amount of network
resources required by the users changes as a function of time. When these
resources are shared among users, like in ATM, it is very unlikely that all users
send at their peak cell rate simultaneously. This means that the network operator
can either reduce the amount of resources required for a fixed load or it can
accommodate more load with the same amount of resources. This phenomenon
is called statistical multiplexing. The network resources are shared among users
with either VCCs or VPCs.
Figure 9 shows an example of statistical multiplexing. The picture on the left-
hand side shows required amount of bandwidth when the capacity of each
connection is reserved according to the peak cell rate. The picture on the right
hand side shows the so-called statistical multiplexing gain, when principle of
statistical multiplexing is used in the bandwidth reservation.

Figure 9. Statistical multiplexing gain

When virtual paths are used, two levels of multiplexing exist: VC level and
VP level. At the VC level, VCs are statistically multiplexed on a VP. At the VP
level, VPs are either deterministically or statistically multiplexed on a physical
link.
If VPs are deterministically multiplexed, they do not share the bandwidth
reserved for them with the other VPs on the same link. The sum of the reserved
bandwidths of the VPs cannot exceed the bandwidth of the link. If VPs are
statistically multiplexed, they do share the bandwidth nominally reserved for
them with the other VPs on the same link. VPs do not have strictly reserved
bandwidths.

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 Review questions

7 Review questions
Please take some time and use the material in this module as a reference to
answer the following questions.

1. Which of the following sentences is not true?

a. ATM switches and multiplexes user traffic by using asynchronous
multiplexing.
b. Time Division Multiplexing (TDM) is also based on asynchronous
multiplexing.
c. With TDM, each user is assigned to a time slot or time slots, and
no other station can send in that time slot or those time slots.
d. ATM offers "bandwidth on demand", that is, the user traffic can be
sent at any available time slot according to the agreement between
the user and the network.

2. Why is the ATM selected to be the transport technology for 3G?

a. It supports transmission of voice, data, and video.
b. It provides QoS guarantee and reliability.
c. It utilises statistical multiplexing, that is, less bandwidth can be
reserved to achieve transmission cost savings.
d. It is able to support the soft handover functionality, which requires
the capability of fast connection setup and teardown in WCDMA.
e. All of the above.

3. Match the correct definitions.

a. Transmission path
b. Virtual Channel Connection (VCC)
c. Virtual Path Connection (VPC)

is a logical connection in ATM.

is a logical grouping of VCCs that have the same endpoints.
It is used for bundling a number of virtual channels into a
higher bandwidth stream so that cross-connection and
switching can be done on a higher level and not on individual
VCC level.
is a bundle of VPs.

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 ATM Basics

4. Fill in the following figure to present the structure of the ATM virtual
connection, as well as the relation between AAL2 connection, VP, VC,
and transmission path.

5. The routing in an ATM network achieved by VPI and VCI at the ATM
cell header.
True  False 

6. Fill in the type of the ATM interfaces used at different 3G interfaces.

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 Abbreviations

Abbreviations
AAL ATM Adaptation Layer
ABR Available Bit Rate
ALCAP Access Link Control Application Part
ATM Asynchronous Transfer Mode
AXC ATM cross-connect
B-ISUP Broadband ISDN User Part
BS Base Station
CAC Call Admission Control
CBR Constant Bit Rate
CDV Cell Delay Variation
CDVT Cell Delay Variation Tolerance
CID Channel Identification
CLP Cell Loss Priority
CLR Cell Loss Ratio
CPS Common Part Sublayer
CS Convergence Sublayer
CTD Cell Transfer Delay
EPD Early Packet Discard
GFC Generic Flow Control
HEC Header Error Control
IMA Inverse Multiplexing for ATM
LAN Local Area Network
MBS Maximum Burst Size
MCR Minimum Cell Rate
MGW Media Gateway
MSC Mobile Switching Centre
MT Mobile Terminal
MTP3b Broadband Message Transfer Part lever 3
nrt-VBR non-real time Variable Bit Rate
NBAP Node B Application Protocol
NNI Network-Node Interface
NPC Network Parameter Control

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 ATM Basics

PCR Peak Cell Rate

PDH Plesiochronous Digital Hierarchy
PDU Protocol Data Unit
PMD Physical Medium Dependent sublayer
PPD Partial Packet Discard
PT Payload Type
PVC Permanent Virtual Circuit
QoS Quality of Service
RANAP Radio Access Network Application Part
RNC Radio Network Controller
RSNAP Radio Network System Application Part
rt-VBR Real time Variable Bit Rate
SAAL Signalling ATM Adaptation Layer
SAR Segmentation and Assembly Sublayer (SAR)
SCR Sustained Cell Rate
SCCP Signalling Connection Control Part
SDH Synchronous Digital Hierarchy
SHO Soft Handover
SMDS Switched Multimegabit Data Service
SONET Synchronised Optical NETwork
S-RNC Serving RNC
SS7 Signalling System Number 7
SSCF Service Specific Co-ordination Function
SSCOP Service Specific Connection Oriented Protocol
SSCS Service Specific Convergence Sublayer
STC Signalling Transport Converter
SVC Switched Virtual Circuit
TC Transmission Convergence Sublayer
TDM Time Division Multiplexing
UNI User-Network Interface
UPC Usage Parameter Control
UBR Unspecified Bit Rate
VBR Variable Bit Rate

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 Abbreviations

VCC Virtual Channel Connection

VCCTP Virtual Channel Connection Terminating Point
VCI Virtual Channel Identifier
VCL Virtual Channel Link
VPC Virtual Path Connection
VPI Virtual Path Identifier
VPI Virtual Path Link
VCCTP Virtual Path Connection Terminating Point

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