Design of ATM Networks with Multiple Traffic Classes

In this paper, we propose a new heuristic design algorithm for the virtual path (VP)‐based ATM network with multiple traffic classes, in which QoS constraints associated with traffic class are taken into account. The minimum bandwidth of VP required to carry given amount of traffic is obtained by utilizing an equivalent bandwidth concept, and the route of each VP is placed so that the network cost is minimized while the QoS requirement is fulfilled. To evaluate our design algorithm, we consider two kinds of traffic: voice traffic as low speed service and still picture traffic as high speed service. Through numerical examples, we demonstrate that our design method can achieve an efficient use of network resources, which results in providing a cost‐effective VP‐based ATM network.