Monitoring ATM networks for burstiness using cell full or cell empty latency with minimum information

A system for monitoring and controlling an ATM network having at least a first and a second ATM station connected by a communications link and merging plural input streams into a consolidated stream on the link, comprising:

• an event driven interface coupled to the communications link for monitoring contiguous non-empty cells and contiguous empty cells of the consolidated stream communicated by the ATM stations on the communications link, and outputting count values for selected contiguous non-empty cell ranges and contiguous empty cell ranges;
• an analysis computer means coupled to an output of the event driven interface, for analyzing the count values and outputting control signals;
• a data reordering means, coupled to an output of the analysis computer means, and coupled to at least one of said ATM stations on said communications link, for altering the relative position of the plural input streams to be transmitted over the communications link in response to the control signals.