NR: Collaborative Research: DiffServ-Aware Multicast

University Of California-Davis, Davis CA

Investigators

Abstract

The proliferation and increasing importance of QoS-aware group applications coupled with the advancement in high-speed networking are driving the need for scalable and deployable group communication architectures, algorithms, and protocols over the Internet. Examples of such applications include on-demand audio/video services, teleconferencing, server push operations, multimedia presentations in distant education and entertainment, and real-time information dissemination. These applications consume high network bandwidth and demand QoS assurances. Multicasting and differentiated services (DiffServ) are the two effective technologies that address these requirements. DiffServ attempts to provide scalable QoS over the Internet, whereas multicasting aims at maximizing bandwidth sharing among the members of a group. Although these technologies have complementary goals, their coexistence introduces several unique challenges. The goal of this research is to develop architectures, algorithms, and protocols addressing these challenges. This collaborative project concentrates in particular on viable approaches for DiffServ-aware multicasting addressing key issues, such as scalability, multicast tree construction and maintenance, heterogeneous QoS and SLA management, and receiver-initiated differentiated services. The proposed research will answer many key questions pertaining to DiffServ multicasting, which will enable QoS multicasting over the Internet a reality.