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IP and ATM integration perspectives

ATM is a widespread technology adopted by many operators to support advanced data communication, in particular efficient Internet services provision. The expected challenges of multimedia communication together with the increasing massive utilization of IP-based applications urgently require redesign of networking solutions in terms of both new functionalities and enhanced performance. An approach based on finding out the best match between realistic service requirements and the pragmatic, intelligent use of technical opportunities made available by the product market seems appropriate. With the aim of pursuing feasible innovations in the different networking aspects, at CSELT we are investigating a few of the most crucial topics related to the IP and ATM integration perspective. In particular, we are developing research concerning efficient multicasting for conferences and TV over the net, service integration and quality control, as well as high performance and enhanced routing. After a survey of the state of the art, the article reports the most significant results so far achieved by CSELT in advanced networking. With reference to multicasting, the article illustrates field experience managing complex MBone conference configurations over ATM and preliminary laboratory results dealing with IP/ATM integrated multicasting. In the service integration area, measurements are illustrated concerning RSVP over ATM that show the benefits of resources allocation for QoS support when different traffic types are mixed. Integration of IP and ATM is then discussed by introducing experimental results one is able to improve the routing and switching capabilities, starting from the many solutions currently proposed at the international level. A significant investigation area is the introduction of a "feature programmability" function within network elements, in order to augment service flexibility. Enhanced routing is illustrated as an example of programmable features that will be feasible with advanced networking platforms.