The invention relates to a method and a software product for selecting an optimal
path in an ATM network. The proposed method of optimal path selection is applicable
to quite a wide class of ATM networks or parts thereof which comprise a plurality
of links satisfying the condition that each of the mandatory parameters CDV, MaxCTD
and AW has one value symmetric to both directions of a link. Such a plurality of
links and value of its parameters may, for example, be obtained after applying
a GCAC algorithm to the initial network description, and is represented in the
form of a network database. The method comprises obtaining two limitations of end-to
end QoS parameters of the path to be selected (MaxCTDQoS and CDVQoS),
constructing a link cost equation, using the equation, forming a modified network
and calculating links' costs thereof, forming one or more data bases of link costs
for different weight ratios of members in the link cost equation, and applying
a shortest path algorithm to each of the formed data bases to determine one or
more conditional paths in these data bases. The shortest path algorithm is capable
of selecting a minimal cast path among paths limited by a given number of links
to satisfy the limitation CDVQoS, and selecting from the conditional
paths the one which better satisfies the limitation MaxCTDQoS.
