[rescue] ATMmmming

[rescue at sunhelp.org]

~ -----Original Message-----
~ From: Dave McGuire [mailto:mcguire at neurotica.com]
~ Sent: Saturday, September 28, 2002 8:15 PM
~ To: rescue at sunhelp.org
~ Subject: Re: [rescue] ATMmmming
~ 
~ 
~ On Saturday, September 28, 2002, at 05:11 PM, dave at cca.org wrote:
~ >>   Yeah, that'd be great if ATM didn't SUCK.
~ >
~ > Why does ATM suck? Tiny packet size?
~ 
~    53-byte cells.  Router CPUs spending all their time reassembling 
~ packets.  53 bytes is even significantly smaller than the smallest 
~ possible TCP packet size in a telnet session (71 if memory 
~ serves? too 
~ tired to add it up right now).
~ 
~        -Dave

Also, 53 bytes doesn't add up to fill a T1 frame properly (or any size/speed
TDM service). Lots of wasted "slack" on the circuit. The godfather of ATM,
Stratacom's Fast Packet protocol was sized to fit a T1 frame properly (73
byte cells, if I recall correctly).