SpringerLink
Log in

Practical algorithms for scheduling video data in a local area network environment

  • Published:
The Journal of Supercomputing Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Simultaneous transmission of multiple high quality video streams from a server to the clients is becoming an increasingly important class of traffic in a network of workstations or cluster environment. With a powerful symmetric multiprocessor (SMP) as the server and a high-speed network, such transmission is practicable from a hardware point of view. However, the actual construction of such a video data server system entails tackling a number of difficult problems related to the provision of strict quality of service (QoS) guarantees. Among others, the smoothing and scheduling of multiple video packet streams are two crucial issues. Smoothing is concerned with reducing the rate variability of video streams in view of the fact that video data are usually compressed in a variable bit rate fashion. Scheduling is important to guarantee the requested QoS levels while maximizing the utilization of the resources. Although much work on smoothing has been done, it is not clear which scheduling scheme is suitable for multiplexing smoothed video data to the network. In this paper we present an extensive performance study of the EDF and RM scheduling algorithms which are modified to provide QoS guarantees for smoothed video data. With a probabilistic definition of QoS, admission control conditions are incorporated into the two algorithms. Furthermore, a counter-based scheduling module is included as the core scheduling mechanism which adaptively adjusts the actual QoS levels assigned to requests. Our theoretical analysis of the two modified algorithms, called QEDF and QRM, shows that the QRM algorithm is more robust than the QEDF algorithm for different workload and utilization conditions. We also propose to use a new metric called meta-QoS to quantify the overall performance of a packet scheduler given a set of simultaneous requests. In our experiments based on an SMP-based Linux platform, we find that the QRM algorithm can sustain a rather stable level of meta-QoS even when the workload and utilization levels are increased. On the other hand, the QEDF algorithm, due to its conservative admission control policy, is found to be not suitable for a high level of utilization and a large number of requests. In view of the lower complexity of the QRM algorithm, it seems that the QRM approach is a more suitable candidate for packet scheduling in the client-server environment considered in our study.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Subscribe and save

Springer+ Basic
EUR 32.99 /Month
  • Get 10 units per month
  • Download Article/Chapter or Ebook
  • 1 Unit = 1 Article or 1 Chapter
  • Cancel anytime
Subscribe now

Buy Now

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Ahmad I, Akramullah SM, Liou ML, Kafeel M (2001) A scalable off-line MPEG-2 encoder using a multiprocessor machine. Parallel Comput 27(6):823–841

    Article  MATH  Google Scholar 

  2. Akramullah SM, Ahmad I, Liou ML (1997) Performance of software-based MPEG-2 video encoder on parallel and distributed systems. IEEE Trans Circuits Syst Video Technol 7(4):687–695

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Atlas AK, Bestavros A (1998) Statistical rate-monotonic scheduling. In: Proceedings of the 19th IEEE real-time systems symposium, Dec 1998

  4. Dalgic I, Tobagi FA (1997) Performance evaluation of ATM networks carrying constant and variable bit-rate video traffic. IEEE J Select Areas Commun 15(6):1115–1131

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Firoiu V, Kurose J, Towsley D (1998) Efficient admission control of piecewise linear traffic envelops at EDF schedulers. IEEE/ACM Trans Netw 6(5):558–570

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Georgiadis L, Guerin R, Parekh A (1997) Optimal multiplexing on a single link: delay and buffer requirements. IEEE Trans Inf Theory 43(5):1518–1535

    Article  MATH  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  7. Hamdi M, Roberts JW, Rolin P (1997) Rate control for VBR video coders in broadband networks. IEEE J Select Areas Commun 15(6):1040–1051

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. He Y, Ahmad I, Liou ML (1998) A software-based MPEG-4 video encoder using parallel processing. IEEE Trans Circuits Syst Video Technol 8(7):909–920

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. He Y, Ahmad I, Liou ML (1999) MPEG-4 based interactive video processing using a cluster of workstations. IEEE Trans Multimed 1(2):217–233

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Hwang K, ** H, Chow E, Wang CL, Xu Z (1999) Designing SSI clusters with hierarchical checkpointing and single-I/O space. IEEE Concurr (Jan/March):60–69

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Hsu C-Y, Ortega A, Reibman AR (1997) Joint selection of source and channel rate for VBR video transmission under ATM policing constraints. IEEE J Select Areas Commun 15(6):1016–1028

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Hyman JM, Lazar AA, Pacifici G (1991) Real-time scheduling with quality of service constraints. IEEE J Select Areas Commun 9(7):1052–1063

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Kao B, Garcia-Molina H (1996) Scheduling soft real-time jobs over dual non-real-time servers. IEEE Trans Parallel Distrib Syst 7(1):56–68

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Lam SS, Chow S, Yau DKY (1996) A lossless smoothing algorithm for compressed video. IEEE/ACM Trans Netw 4(5):697–708

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Liebeherr J, Wrege DE, Ferrari D (1996) Exact admission control for networks with a bounded delay service. IEEE/ACM Trans Netw 4(6):885–901

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Liu CL, Layland JW (1973) Scheduling algorithms for multiprogramming in a hard-real-time environment. J ACM 20(1):46–61

    Article  MATH  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  17. Luo W, Zarki ME (1997) Quality control for VBR video over ATM networks. IEEE J Select Areas Commun 15(6):1029–1039

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Rajkumar R, Lee C, Lehoczky JP, Siewiorek DP (1998) Practical solutions for QoS-based resource allocation problems. In: Proceedings of the 19th IEEE real-time systems symposium, Dec 1998

  19. Ramamritham K, Stankovic JA, Shiah P-F (1990) Efficient scheduling algorithms for real-time multiprocessor systems. IEEE Trans Parallel Distrib Syst 1(2):184–194

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. Ramamritham K, Stankovic JA, Shiah P-F (1994) Scheduling algorithms and operating systems support for real-time systems. Proc IEEE 82(1):55–67

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Salehi JD, Zhang Z-L, Kurose J, Towsley D (1998) Supporting stored video: reducing rate variability and end-to-end resource requirements through optimal smoothing. IEEE/ACM Trans Netw 6(4):397–410

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Shih WK, Liu JWS, Liu CL (1993) Modified rate-monotonic algorithm for scheduling periodic jobs with deferred deadlines. IEEE Trans Software Eng 19(12):1171–1179

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Shin KG, Ramanathan P (1994) Real-time computing: a new discipline of computer science and engineering. Proc IEEE 82(1):6–24

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. Wang Q, Liu CK, Li KC (1997) Equivalent bandwidth of VBR video traffic. In: Proceedings of the int’l conf. information, communications, and signal processing, Sept 1997, pp 1618–1622

  25. Wrege DE, Knightly EW, Zhang H, Liebeherr J (1996) Deterministic delay bounds for vbr video in packet-switching networks: fundamental limits and practical trade-offs. IEEE/ACM Trans Netw 4(3):352–362

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. Xu J, Parnas DL (1990) Scheduling process with release times, deadlines, precedence, and exclusion relations. IEEE Trans Software Eng 16(3):360–369

    Article  Google Scholar 

  27. Yau DKY, Lam SS (1997) Adaptive rate-controlled scheduling for multimedia applications. IEEE/ACM Trans Netw 5(4):475–488

    Article  Google Scholar 

  28. Zhang Z-L, Kurose J, Salehi JD, Towsley D (1997) Smoothing, statistical multiplexing, and call admission control for stored video. IEEE J Select Areas Commun 15(6):1148–1166

    Article  Google Scholar 

  29. Zhao W, Krunz M, Tripathi SK (1997) Efficient transport of stored video using stream scheduling and window-based traffic envelopes. In: Proceedings of ICC’97, 1997, pp 793–797

  30. Zhou L, Shin KG, Rundensteiner EA (1998) Rate-monotonic scheduling in the presence of timing unpredictability. In: Proceedings of the 4th IEEE real-time technology and applications symposium, June 1998

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong, Hong Kong

    Kelvin Yiu-Lun Tsoi & Yu-Kwong Kwok

Authors
  1. Kelvin Yiu-Lun Tsoi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Yu-Kwong Kwok
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Yu-Kwong Kwok.

Additional information

A preliminary version of portions of this paper appeared in the Proceedings of the 4th International Symposium on Parallel Architectures, Algorithms, and Networks (I-SPAN’99), pp. 256–261, Fremantle, Western Australia, June 1999.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Tsoi, K.YL., Kwok, YK. Practical algorithms for scheduling video data in a local area network environment. J Supercomput 39, 131–147 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11227-007-0105-9

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11227-007-0105-9

Keywords

Search

Navigation