Bandwidth control method, cell transmitting apparatus, and traffic control system

摘要

A cell transmitting device receives cells for transmission to a cell receiving device on a connection in a communication network. The connection has a minimum cell rate, established when the connection is set up. The cell transmitting device measures the input rate of cells to be transmitted on the connection, determines an allowable cell rate on the basis of the input rate and cell rate information supplied by the cell receiving apparatus, and transmits cells within the allowable cell rate. Under certain conditions, such as absence of cell traffic on the connection, the allowable cell rate is set to a lowest cell rate lower than the minimum cell rate, thereby enabling other connections to obtain higher cell rates.