A BUFFER ALLOCATION SCHEME FOR ATM NETWORKS - COMPLETE SHARING BASED ON VIRTUAL PARTITION

Buffer allocation to provide an efficient and fair use of the availabl e buffer spaces is critically important for ATM networks. A complete s haring with virtual partition (CSVP) strategy for buffer management at a multiplexer or an output port of an output buffered switch is propo sed and analyzed. The total buffer space is partitioned based on the r elative traffic toads (measured or estimated), Virtual partition allow s a newly arriving cell belonging to an oversubscribed type to occupy the spare space of an uudersubscribed type, and to be overwritten when necessary, Using a fluid dow approach, a set of partial differential equations with a triangular stability region is established to charact erize the dynamics of a system supporting two traffic flows, Under a b uffer foil condition, the system behavior is described by a set of non -homogeneous ordinary differential equations. Tbe cell loss probabilit y for each traffic type is obtained by solving the ordinary differenti al equations, Numerical examples indicate that by appropriately select ing the partitions, the CSVP method may be used to provide differentia l cen loss rate requirements by the different traffic types.