Method for realizing emulated ring network structures in a communication network that is designed according to asynchronous transfer mode

A method for realizing emulated ring network structures in a communication network, operating according to asynchronous transfer mode (ATM), with a plurality of ATM communication terminal devices connected to an ATM switching unit that operates according to ATM to transmit ATM cells, each containing a cell header, to the ATM switching unit from the ATM communication terminal devices and which are then switched to an ATM destination communication terminal device using routing information contained in the cell header and formed of a virtual path identifier and a virtual channel identifier, said method comprising:

• allocating ATM communication terminal devices to a ring network structure, a standardized ring network address being respectively assigned to the allocated ATM communication terminal devices;
• setting up a virtual path conforming to ATM and representing a component of the ring network structure, as a virtual ring network path between the allocated ATM communication terminal devices and the ATM switching unit in every transmission direction, each virtual ring network path being represented by a virtual ring network path identifier;
• assigning in a ring network structure communication a virtual ring network channel identifier, representing the standardized ring network address of one of the allocated ATM communication terminal devices, to the virtual ring network path identifier representing the virtual ring network path;
• and
• respectively switching ATM cells, transmitted via the virtual ring network path, to the one of the allocated ATM communication terminal devices addressed by the virtual ring network channel identifier assigned to the virtual channel identifier in the cell header of the ATM cells.