PDF of this tutorialOver the last few years, the demand for network-transfer capacity has increased at an exponential rate. The impact of the Internet; the introduction of network services such as video and multimedia that require real-time support and multicast; and the globalization of network traffic enhance the need for cost-efficient networking solutions with support for real-time traffic and for the transmission of integrated data, both audio and video. At the same time, the transmission capacity of optical fibers is today growing significantly faster than the processing capacity of computers. Traditionally, the transmission capacity of the network links has been the main bottleneck in communication systems. Most existing network techniques are therefore designed to use available link capacity as efficiently as possible with the support of large network buffers and elaborate data processing at switch points and interfaces. However, with the large amount of data-transfer capacity offered today by fiber networks, a new bottleneck problem is caused by processing and buffering at switch and access points on the network. This problem has created a need for networking protocols that are not based on computer and storage capacity at the nodes but that instead limit complex operations to minimize processing on the nodes and maximize transmission capacity.
Against this background, the DTM protocol was developed. DTM is designed to increase the use of fiber's transmission capacity and to provide support for real-time broadband traffic and multicasting. It is also designed to change the distribution of resources to the network nodes dynamically, based on changes in transfer-capacity demand.
