Frame-level interleaving approach to VC merging in input-buffered ATM switch

Multipoint-to-multipoint communication can be efficiently supported in ATM networks with VC merging. In the AAL5 adaptation layer, individual cells do not carry the sender ID. When multiple data streams are merged into one outgoing data stream at a merge point, the cell interleaving needs to be controlled such that the receiver can reassemble the messages from different senders. For an input-buffered ATM switch, VC merging carl be implemented effectively using the frame-level interleaving approach. Cells belonging to a packet are sent together without any interleaving from other packets of the merged VC. A distributed protocol is presented to arbitrate the transmission order of packets subject to the transmission priority of the packets.