Scalable Reliable Multicast with Layered Recovery and Low-Overhead Network Delay Estimation

We study two problems that arise in designing scalable reliable multicast protocols. The first problem we study is that of localizing repair packets when packets are lost. When repair packets are multicasted, a highly lossy receiver may swamp the entire multicast ``group'''' with duplicate repair packets thereby wasting bandwidth; thus, the protocols need repair locality. In this paper, we present a novel multicast layering protocol where the sender proactively distributes FEC repair packets among multiple multicast groups. Receivers can selectively tune in to a subset of these multicast groups to obtain only the number of repair packets they require. We present a highly efficient algorithm that dynamically determines the optimal distribution of FEC repair packets to a given (small constant) number of multicast groups. The running time of this algorithm is independent of the number of receivers in the multicast session, and it is hence scalable. The second problem we address is to estimate the network delay between each pair of nodes in the multicast session. This key parameter is useful, among other things, in suppressing the implosion of request and repair packets, and in detecting congestion. Existing implementations use $O(n)$ multicasts with $O(n)$ message size each (total of $O(n^2)$ bits); here, $n$ is the session size. This paper presents a new delay estimation protocol that requires $O(n)$ multicasts only with $O(1)$ message size each. This protocol is hence more scalable. Furthermore, it does not require synchronized clocks, or any knowledge of network topology or the session size. Our solutions to these two problems can be integrated into many known reliable multicast protocols to enhance their scalability. For concreteness, we focus on singly scoped and hierarchically scoped SRM as well as tree-based protocols and present combined protocols incorporating our solutions into each of them. Our simulation experiments suggest that our solutions can substantially enhance the scalability of these reliable multicast protocols.

[1]  George Varghese,et al.  An error control scheme for large-scale multicast applications , 1998, Proceedings. IEEE INFOCOM '98, the Conference on Computer Communications. Seventeenth Annual Joint Conference of the IEEE Computer and Communications Societies. Gateway to the 21st Century (Cat. No.98.

[2]  Mostafa H. Ammar,et al.  Improving the throughput of point-to-multipoint ARQ protocols through destination set splitting , 1992, [Proceedings] IEEE INFOCOM '92: The Conference on Computer Communications.

[3]  Ernst W. Biersack,et al.  Performance comparison of centralized versus distributed error recovery for reliable multicast , 2000, TNET.

[4]  David B. Shmoys,et al.  Approximation algorithms for facility location problems , 2000, APPROX.

[5]  Roger G. Kermode,et al.  Scoped hybrid automatic repeat reQuest with forward error correction (SHARQFEC) , 1998, SIGCOMM '98.

[6]  R CheritonDavid,et al.  Log-based receiver-reliable multicast for distributed interactive simulation , 1995 .

[7]  V. Jacobson,et al.  Congestion avoidance and control , 1988, CCRV.

[8]  Donald F. Towsley,et al.  Parity-based loss recovery for reliable multicast transmission , 1997, TNET.

[9]  Deborah Estrin,et al.  Scalable Session Messages in SRM using Self-configuration , 1998 .

[10]  Jon Crowcroft,et al.  TCP-like congestion control for layered multicast data transfer , 1998, Proceedings. IEEE INFOCOM '98, the Conference on Computer Communications. Seventeenth Annual Joint Conference of the IEEE Computer and Communications Societies. Gateway to the 21st Century (Cat. No.98.

[11]  Lorenzo Vicisano.  Notes on a Cumulative Layered Organisation of Data Packets Across Multiple Streams With Different Ra , 1997 .

[12]  Éva Tardos,et al.  Approximation algorithms for facility location problems (extended abstract) , 1997, STOC '97.

[13]  Sneha Kumar Kasera,et al.  Scalable reliable multicast using multiple multicast channels , 2000, TNET.

[14]  Jean-Chrysotome Bolot.  End-to-end packet delay and loss behavior in the internet , 1993, SIGCOMM 1993.

[15]  Don Towsley,et al.  Packet loss correlation in the MBone multicast network , 1996, Proceedings of GLOBECOM'96. 1996 IEEE Global Telecommunications Conference.

[16]  Jim Gemmell,et al.  Scalable Reliable Multicast Using Erasure-Correcting Re-sends , 1997 .

[17]  Don Towsley,et al.  Real-Time Reliable Multicast Using Proactive Forward Error Correction TITLE2: , 1998 .

[18]  Steven McCanne,et al.  A reliable multicast framework for light-weight sessions and application level framing , 1995, SIGCOMM '95.

[19]  Georg Carle,et al.  How bad is reliable multicast without local recovery? , 1998, Proceedings. IEEE INFOCOM '98, the Conference on Computer Communications. Seventeenth Annual Joint Conference of the IEEE Computer and Communications Societies. Gateway to the 21st Century (Cat. No.98.

[20]  David Meyer,et al.  Administratively Scoped IP Multicast , 1998, RFC.

[21]  Martin Vetterli,et al.  Receiver-driven layered multicast , 1996, SIGCOMM 1996.

[22]  Madhu Sudan,et al.  A reliable dissemination protocol for interactive collaborative applications , 1995, MULTIMEDIA '95.

[23]  Sneha Kumar Kasera,et al.  Improving reliable multicast using active parity encoding services (APES) , 1999, IEEE INFOCOM '99. Conference on Computer Communications. Proceedings. Eighteenth Annual Joint Conference of the IEEE Computer and Communications Societies. The Future is Now (Cat. No.99CH36320).

[24]  Mostafa H. Ammar,et al.  Using destination set grouping to improve the performance of window-controlled multipoint connections , 1996, Comput. Commun..

[25]  Sanjoy Paul,et al.  Reliable Multicast Transport Protocol (RMTP) , 1997, IEEE J. Sel. Areas Commun..

[26]  Sandeep K. Singhal,et al.  Log-based receiver-reliable multicast for distributed interactive simulation , 1995, SIGCOMM '95.