Effectiveness of timer-based connection management mechanisms for IP/ATM networks

A timer-based connection management mechanism has been recently standardised to manage ATM connections dynamically for transporting IP traffic over ATM networks. However, implementing timers will increase the complexity and cost of ATM network interface cards. In this paper, the effectiveness of timer-based connection management techniques for minimising transmission costs for IP traffic over ATM networks for a typical intranet-ISP connection is analysed. Our study shows that to minimise the transmission cost, the SVC should be closed immediately or left open depending on whether the mean packet interarrival time is greater than or less than the ratio of set-up to holding cost respectively. Further study is required to manage the timer when the interarrival time is close to the ratio of set-up to holding cost. The analytical results are validated by simulating an IP/ATM router with the well known fractal-like, self-similar traffic collected from real networks.