What Does uBR Actually Mean?

Written June 2007

Have you ever wondered what "uBR" means? Here is a brief list of what several reputable sources wrote:

"[UBR] does not guarantee any throughput levels. This is used for applications, such as file transfer, that can tolerate delays" (Cities).

"Unspecified Bit Rate: UBR is an ATM service category which does not specify traffic related service guarantees. Specifically, UBR does not include the notion of a per-connection negotiated bandwidth. No numerical commitments are made with respect to the cell loss ratio experienced by a UBR connection, or as to the cell transfer delay experienced by cells on the connection" (DIT-YPM).

"A type of traffic that is not considered time-critical (eg, ARP messages, pure data), allocated whatever bandwidth is available at any given time. UBR traffic is given a "best effort" priority in an ATM network with no guarantee of successful transmission" (e-ratecentral).

"Unspecified Bit Rate (ATM) One of the ATM Forum best effort service types (the other one is ABR). Realistically, no traffic parameters are specified by the source, so, no actual quality commitment is made by the network management" (2.themanualpage).

"An economical class of on a moment-to-moment basis, without guaranteeing service levels" (members.lycos.co.uk).

"A quality of service defined by the ATM Networks/ATM Forum, allowing any amount of data up to a set maximum to be sent across a network; non-time sensitive data that could be retransmitted without significant inconvenience. Does not guarantee freedom from delay or cell loss" (bandwidethfinders.com).

UBR Cisco Broadband and Dial Access Series are the top of the line network hardware equipment which enables cost-effective, high-speed Internet access. Stay posted for the upcoming articles written on the subject.

About the Author:
 

Debbie Jensen, an expert writer for business and technology for Genesis Global Networks, has a Bachelor's Degree in Visual Communication (Multimedia). With her twenty year history of creative expressions and formalized study of Information Technology of digital print/web design and development, she is now publishing articles about networking for Genesis Global Networks.

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