Abstract: A method and a buffer structure ensure a fair share of the bandwidth between point-to-point and point-to-multipoint connections with the same or different priorities. For each priority class, the buffer structure includes one queue for each physical link of restoring point-to-point cells for each priority level and one queue for point-to-multipoint cells. When a cell is to be transmitted on a link, the point-to-point and point-to-multipoint cells for this link, if any, from the highest priority class in each case are identified. If the cells belong to the same priority class, the cell stored first is transmitted.

Abstract: An Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) switching device (20) has ATM cells (both point-to-point and point-to-multipoint) routed therethrough to one or more physical output links (31-38). The switching device (20) includes a cell buffer memory (92) which is the sole storage area on an egress exchange terminal for all cells, including point-to-multipoint cells, regardless of to which physical output link the cell is destined. For point-to-multipoint cells, pointers to the location of the cell in the cell buffer memory (92) are stored in one or more pointer queues (114), the pointer queues (114) corresponding to physical output links over which the point-to-multipoint cells are expected to be propagated. As each physical output link is selected, the pointer in the corresponding pointer queue is used to obtain the cell from the cell buffer memory (92) for readout on the selected link.