Scalable end-to-end ATM encryption test results

Customers of Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) services may need a variety of data authenticity and privacy assurances. Cryptographic methods can be used to assure authenticity and privacy, but are hard to scale for implementation at high speed. The incorporation of these methods into computer networks can severely impact functionality, reliability, and performance. To study these trade-offs, a prototype encryptor/decryptor was developed. This effort demonstrated the viability of implementing certain encryption techniques in high speed networks. The research prototype processes ATM cells in a SONET OC-3 payload. This paper describes the functionality, reliability, security, and performance design trade-offs investigated with the prototype