what is Virtual channel

 

Virtual channel

A single connection can be time domain multiplexed by increasing the number of buffers. This provides some number of virtual channels for each connection and reduces the likelihood of blocking.

Figure 23: An example of 3 virtual channels per connection.

The virtual channel example depicted in Figure 23 is illustrating a relatively complicated architecture. The architecture of an Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) router is built using similar techniques. However ATM routers use cells instead of flits or packets. Each cell is large enough to contain a virtual path and virtual connection identifier. These identifiers allow the cells to be transmitted over a single connection in any order (asynchronously). The router ``switches the labels" as the cells arrive, hence the name label switching routers.

Wavelength routing networks work on the same principle. In this case a single optical fiber contains a number of wavelengths (which are the ``virtual channels"). Incoming packets are switched to an appropriate out going wavelength.

 

 

 

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