Thread: Asynchronous transfer mode

What is ATM?

Asynchronous transfer mode, or ATM, was developed as a technology that would enable voice, video, and data transport over the same network while including rich management features and the quality of service (QoS) guar¬antees that voice and video require. ATM uses short, fixed-length (53-octet) packets called cells for transport to accomplish this. It uses ATM adaptation layers (AALs) to transport dif¬ferent traffic types and numerous bit rate service algorithms to ensure QoS. However, ATM creates many d'raw¬backs at the network edge.