Distributed multi-source streaming models in peer-to-peer overlay networks

Abstract

A multimedia contents are distributed to peer computers (peers) and a contents peer which holds contents can provide other peers with the contents in peer-to-peer (P2P) overlay networks. Here, contents peers are mainly realized in less-reliable and low-performance personal computers. Multimedia streaming is more significant than downloading ways in multimedia applications from security and economical reasons. We discuss distributed multi-source streaming models to support peers with reliable and scalable multimedia streaming service. Here, a collection of multiple contents peers in parallel transmit packets of a multimedia content to a leaf peer to realize the reliability and scalability. Each of the contents peers send different packets from the other contents peers at slower rate. Even if not only some number of peers stop by fault and are degraded in performance but also some number of packets are lost and delayed in networks, a leaf peer has to receive every data of a content at the required rate. We discuss how to replicate data of a multimedia content by creating a parity packet for some number of packets and to allocate packets to each contents peer so that a leaf peer can deliver a packet without waiting for preceding packets from other contents peers in presence of the faults. Next, multiple contents peers are required to be synchronized to send packets to a leaf-peer so that the leaf-peer can receive every data of a content at the required rate. We discuss a pair of gossip-based flooding-based protocols, directed acyclic graph (DAG)-based coordination protocol (DCoP) and tree-based (TCoP) coordination protocol to synchronize multiple contents peers to send in parallel send to a leaf peer. First, some number of contents peers are selected and start transmitting packets to a leaf peer. Then, each of the selected peers selects some number of peers. Here, a peer can be selected by multiple peers in DCoP but by at most one peer in TCoP. Finally, every contents peer transmits packets to the leaf peer at the allocated rate. We evaluate the coordination protocols DCoP and TCoP in terms of how long it takes and how many messages are transmitted to synchronize multiple contents peers.