TCP/IP Explained
An easy to understand, comprehensive, and high-level introduction to TCP/IP.
TABLE OF CONTENTS TCP/IP Explained
Section 22.6: The Multi-Link Protocol
22.6 The Multi-Link Protocol
With the advent of emerging technologies such as Integrated Services Digital Networking (ISDN), [1] there opens a new opportunity to assign Bandwidth-on-Demand or BonDing as it is known. A single Basic Rate ISDN link comprises twoBearer (or 'B') Channels each with a bandwidth of 64kbs, and a Primary Rate service comprises up to 30 B Channels [2] (each of 64kbps). These channels can then be used to provide incoming calls from different remote sites, outgoing calls to different sites, multiple B Channel pipes to (or from) a single site, or any combination of these. Where multiple B Channels are bound together in this way, we use a Multi-Link protocol that ensures load balancing across all circuits. In use, MultiLink can be described with Figure 22-38.
22.6.1 Multi-Link Operation
Where we have multiple links, we obviously need to make best use of them by passing an equal amount of traffic over each. This then gives us a problem. For example, should we pass packets in equal number over each link, and if so, how can we ensure that this provides the best solution where the size of packets will differ? Equally, what will happen if the two links are of differing speeds? Although with technologies such as ISDN each link is the same, we must remember that Multi-Link is not restricted to only ISDN links. Thus, we must solve this dilemma if we are...
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