chosen as a compromise so it is short enough to be acceptable for voice communication, it is short so it doesn’t cause delay problems, forward error correction can be employed, and it minimizes the number of bytes needed to be transmitted in case of error. The asynchronous means that whenever a host wants to transmit data, it doesn’t have to wait for a slot to open, a call is placed and a virtual path is created between the sending and receiving party. ATM differs from the packet-switching networks because it offers a connection-oriented service. Before a host computer connected to an ATM can send cells, the host must first interact with the switch to specify a destination. The sending party has to establish a link to the destination source. If the two points cannot make a connection, the attempt fails and no data can be transmitted. When a connection succeeds, the local ATM switch chooses an identifier for the connection, and passes the connection identifier to the host along with a message thatinforms the host of success. The host uses the connection identifier when sending or receiving cells. When it finishes using a connection, the host again communicates with the ATM switch to request that the connection be broken. The switch disconnects the two computers. Disconnection is equivalent to hanging up a telephone at the end of a telephone call. After a disconnection, the switch can reuse the connection identifier.ATM is a very reliable method of data transfer because it is versatile in which it can transfer voice data and video over one network. It is foreseeable that it will become more widespread usage wise and become the backbone of many networks because the protocol is flexible over different networks. ...
