trailing packet discard (ATM) (TPD)

Trailing Packet Discard (TPD) is an intelligent ATM cell discard mechanism used in AAL-5 applications.

Trailing Packet Discard (TPD) allows an ATM switch to stop retransmitting ATM cells when one or more ATM cells of an AAL-5 frame have been lost. In the TPD mechanism, the network marks the following ATM cells, allowing the next ATM switch to suppress them. This procedure leads to a reduction of the network load and saves bandwidth.