TITLE: Scalable High Quality P2P Streaming Content Distribution Network

WHEN: Friday, February 27, 2004, 2:30 pm

WHERE: Large Commons Area, 5th Floor IS Bldg.

WHO: Masaru Okuda

Committee:

Professor Taieb Znati (Chair)
Professor Richard Thompson
Professor Martin Weiss
Professor Michael Spring
Professor Alexandros Labrinidis

ABSTRACT: Our research focuses on the design of network architecture and mechanisms that enable on-demand delivery of high quality streaming media to large and diverse users of Internet. The network environment in which streaming applications, such as online DVD rentals, operate is characterized as constrained, diverse, and dynamic, in terms of server bandwidth availability, user system capabilities, and community membership. Stringent resource requirements of multimedia streaming make it difficult to support a large number of simultaneous streams to many individuals with different technical needs.

To address these issues, the design of streaming infrastructure should be efficient in server bandwidth usage, scalable to accommodate increase in demands while maintaining the integrity of each flow, versatile in responding to different user needs, responsive to dynamically changing environment, and resilient to sudden network changes. We propose a new streaming network architecture which inherits the strengths of client-server and P2P distribution networks. Central to this model is a Virtual Theater, a content server that organizes local P2P communities, known as Virtual Theater Rooms, to distribute contents within each VT Room. A hybrid nature of Virtual Theater allows effective use of dissimilar user environment to accommodate diverse needs of community members while retaining the control necessary to provide stable streaming service.

We investigate the feasibility of supporting high quality streaming service to many and diverse users of Internet using the proposed hybrid architecture. We develop necessary mechanisms, algorithms, and protocols for the operation and management of Virtual Theater and VT Rooms and study their effectiveness.