Adapter monitoring storage capacity of its buffer and sequentially generating ready signals to notify a terminal to transfer more burst data to the buffer

A terminal adapter for connecting a terminal to an ATM network and controlling the transmission over the ATM network of successive data bursts, supplied thereto by the terminal for transmission over the ATM network in accordance with a ready notification signal received from the ATM network, the ready notification signal including data indicating a number of data bursts appropriate for transmission over the ATM network, the terminal adapter comprising:

• a buffer having a capacity of storing a plurality of data bursts to be transmitted over the ATM network;
• read means, responsive to a ready notification signal received from the ATM network, for determining a number of data bursts to be transmitted over the ATM network and for reading the determined number of data bursts, in succession, from the buffer;
• assembling means for assembling successive data bursts read from the buffer by said read means into one or more successive and respective ATM cells for transmission over the ATM network;
• monitoring means for monitoring the current storage capacity of the buffer and thereby determining the current available storage capacity of the buffer for storage of a number of further data bursts therein and for sequentially generating and sending to the terminal a corresponding number of ready signals, each ready signal instructing the terminal to transmit a corresponding data burst to the adapter for storage in the buffer;
• and
• means for writing each data burst received from the terminal into the buffer.