Asynchronous transfer mode cell loss estimator

A method for estimiating the cell loss rate of an asynchronous transfer mode statistical multiplexer for routing message traffic comprising the steps of:

• finding a multiplexer state probability distribution of said multiplexer by performing the following steps:
• inputting a stream of cells from a plurality of traffic sources into a buffer;
• transferring the cells from the buffer to a communications channel;
• calculating the state probability distribution from a maximum cell transfer rate to the communications channel as a function of the buffer capacity;
• and
• estimating the cell loss rate from the multiplexer state probability distribution as approximately:
• ##EQU47## wherein:
• CL is cell loss probability,
• B is the number of cells in the buffer,
• C is the number of cells that may be transmitted by the multiplexer per time slot,
• R.sub.i is the number of cells generated per time unit for traffic type i,
• N.sub.i is the number of traffic sources of type i,
• M is the number of traffic types,
• .gamma..sub.i is a distribution parameter of an obn time for traffic source type i, a.sub.k is B-k+C,
• Pr(L=k) is the probability that the number of cells L in the buffer is equal to k, ##EQU48##