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- Newsgroups: comp.dcom.cell-relay
- Path: sparky!uunet!think.com!ames!kronos.arc.nasa.gov!iscnvx!news
- From: myoung@force.ssd.lmsc.lockheed.com
- Subject: Virtual Token Ring
- Message-ID: <1992Nov9.203140.10270@iscnvx.lmsc.lockheed.com>
- Sender: news@iscnvx.lmsc.lockheed.com (News)
- Reply-To: myoung@force.ssd.lmsc.lockheed.com
- Organization: LMSC, Sunnyvale, California
- Date: Mon, 9 Nov 92 20:31:40 GMT
- Lines: 34
-
- Token Based Flow Control
-
- In this application a single server is being pounded by multiple
- clients clustered around two or three hubs connected to the server
- across some single physical link. These clients are using old
- style transport layer without rate based control. Since the server
- knows what the current load in number of connections, and knows the
- rate at which it can accept cell streams, the server would like
- to manage flow control for the 10-30 clients located at the remote
- site. The server would like to manage the bandwidth at the data link
- level, not requiring a new technology transport layer.
-
- Solution:
-
- Token passing systems have an inherent, though dumb flow control
- since no stations can transmit until it control of the token. Thus,
- a natural flow control mechanism would have the server send over
- a token to be passed around to each client in turn, which when received
- allows the client to transmit a fixed quota of cells. The token could
- tally up the number of cells ready for release at each client, and
- when its quota of cells have been accounted for, or a fixed timeout has
- occurred, the token would cause itself to expire.
-
- The server would continue to release tokens as needed to keep its IO
- busy.
-
- Of course, with the self routing capability of the wave system, along
- with its inherent intelligence to carry and manipulate variables, the
- creation of a virtual token ring is simply accomplished. Additionally,
- the interpretable wave can handle more complex multi-priority flow control,
- simulating a dual priority token ring.
-
- Just like a token ring, the whole procedure takes place at the data link
- level.
-