ABSTRACT

SUMMARY This paper proposes a new restoration concept for ATM networks. It realizes the rapid and multiple reliability/cost level restoration required to support many different network services. First, the necessity in realizing rapid and multiple-reliability-level restoration in the future network is shown. The self-healing schemes that is based on distributed restoration mechanism satisfies the rapidity in restoration, but does not satisfy multiple reliability levels. Thus a new self-healing scheme that satisfies them is presented and a Multiple Reliability Level Virtual Path network concept is proposed based on the new self-healing scheme. Next, how to realize the new self-healing scheme is explained as an extension of the existing self-healing scheme with two new simple functions. Finally, evaluations confirm the effectiveness of the proposed scheme. These results show that the proposed new scheme realizes a network that fulfills the rapidity and multiple reliability requirements that are strongly required.

key words: restoration, self-healing, failure, reliability, ATM