Internet integrated service over ATM: A solution for shortcut QoS virtual channels

In principle, the interaction of RSVP and ATM should allow the IP level to benefit from some features of the ATM layer. The most interesting one is th e native support of end-to-end quality of service provided by ATM. On the o ther hand, there are issues that must be clarified to define correct interw orking: for example, the possible overlapping between the mechanisms used i n the IP and ATM levels to support QoS, or the needed IP/ATM address resolu tion mechanism. This article proposes a solution to exploit ATM shortcut VC s supporting QoS in the Internet integrated services model. A straightforwa rd enrichment to the RSVP protocol is defined, which only impacts the devic es (hosts and routers) involved in the shortcut procedure. A mechanism for IP/ATM address resolution is provided, avoiding the use of other mechanisms such as NHRP. Special care has been taken to maintain compatibility with " traditional" RSVP hosts and routers.