Broadband Access Network Providing Reliable Ethernet Connectivity
VTomohiro Ishihara · 2001
Triggered by the explosion in the Internet population and traffic, broadband access has become one of the central issues in telecommunication systems. The require-ments for new access networks are not only the provision of broadband services but also reliability as a social infrastructure. Taking account of these requirements, in this paper we propose the virtual Ethernet switch architecture (vESW), which can provide reliable Ethernet connectivity. We also describe an implementation of vESW using ATM technology. The system provides broadband services using optical subscriber lines based on ATM-PON technology. The system also provides multiple QoS, includ-ing IP and ATM QoS. Also, a ring network architecture provides efficient use of band-width and fast fault recovery. In this paper, the key mechanisms that achieve these features are described. 1.