19216811.liveChapter 6 Broadband
VMG1312-B Series User’s Guide
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ATM Traffic Classes
These are the basic ATM traffic classes defined by the ATM Forum Traffic Management 4.0
Specification.
Constant Bit Rate (CBR)
Constant Bit Rate (CBR) provides fixed bandwidth that is always available even if no data is being
sent. CBR traffic is generally time-sensitive (doesn't tolerate delay). CBR is used for connections
that continuously require a specific amount of bandwidth. A PCR is specified and if traffic exceeds
this rate, cells may be dropped. Examples of connections that need CBR would be high-resolution
video and voice.
Variable Bit Rate (VBR)
The Variable Bit Rate (VBR) ATM traffic class is used with bursty connections. Connections that use
the Variable Bit Rate (VBR) traffic class can be grouped into real time (VBR-RT) or non-real time
(VBR-nRT) connections.
The VBR-RT (real-time Variable Bit Rate) type is used with bursty connections that require closely
controlled delay and delay variation. It also provides a fixed amount of bandwidth (a PCR is
specified) but is only available when data is being sent. An example of an VBR-RT connection would
be video conferencing. Video conferencing requires real-time data transfers and the bandwidth
requirement varies in proportion to the video image's changing dynamics.
The VBR-nRT (non real-time Variable Bit Rate) type is used with bursty connections that do not
require closely controlled delay and delay variation. It is commonly used for "bursty" traffic typical
on LANs. PCR and MBS define the burst levels, SCR defines the minimum level. An example of an
VBR-nRT connection would be non-time sensitive data file transfers.
Unspecified Bit Rate (UBR)
The Unspecified Bit Rate (UBR) ATM traffic class is for bursty data transfers. However, UBR doesn't
guarantee any bandwidth and only delivers traffic when the network has spare bandwidth. An
example application is background file transfer.
IP Address Assignment
A static IP is a fixed IP that your ISP gives you. A dynamic IP is not fixed; the ISP assigns you a
different one each time. The Single User Account feature can be enabled or disabled if you have
either a dynamic or static IP. However the encapsulation method assigned influences your choices
for IP address and default gateway.
Introduction to VLANs
A Virtual Local Area Network (VLAN) allows a physical network to be partitioned into multiple logical
networks. Devices on a logical network belong to one group. A device can belong to more than one
group. With VLAN, a device cannot directly talk to or hear from devices that are not in the same
group(s); the traffic must first go through a router.
In Multi-Tenant Unit (MTU) applications, VLAN is vital in providing isolation and security among the
subscribers. When properly configured, VLAN prevents one subscriber from accessing the network
resources of another on the same LAN, thus a user will not see the printers and hard disks of
another user in the same building.