VC Merging in ATM-LSRs

MPLS is a new technology that has been proposed by the IETF community and is one of the most appropriate techniques to provide connectionless IP services over powerful ATM switches. A MPLS switch, which is implemented based on an ATM switch, is called ATMLSR. VC merging is a critical task for ATM-LSRs because without supporting VC merging each ATM-LSR has to manage O(n2) VC values in case of full mesh connectivity. In this paper, we analyze VC merging in ATM-LSRs, which have the ability to support Differentiated Services. We analyze partial VC merging under different service disciplines and derive some equations for the mean waiting time of output queuing in ATM-LSRs.