On Fri, Aug 09, 2002 at 01:13:04PM -0700, Bill Woodcock wrote: > > > Personally, I don't believe that ATM is 'bad' for > > shared-fabric exchange point. I mean, it works, and solves several > > problems quite easy: a) it's easily distributed via SONET services to > > folks who are not next to the ATM switch, b) it makes interconnection > > between networks safer (ie, not dealing with broadcast issues on a > > ethernet nap), c) virtual PI connections are easily accomplished, d) there > > are varying degrees of interconnection speed (agreeably, less important), > > All of the above are true of frame relay as well, which has the additional > benefit of not being funamentally incompatible with data networking. :-)
I doubt that any of the ATM-based echanges were built because of a deep affection for ATM. More likely, it was the only virtual circuit techonlogy around at the the time that a certain router vendor supported at speeds greater than DS3. ATM worked reasonably well for that application, once there were switches with adequate buffering. Anyone building a similar exchange today would have new choices not available three or more years ago. Steve