Fundamental Limits and Tradeoffs of Providing Deterministic Guarantees to VBR Video Traffic
Title | Fundamental Limits and Tradeoffs of Providing Deterministic Guarantees to VBR Video Traffic |
Publication Type | Technical Report |
Year of Publication | 1994 |
Authors | Knightly, E. W., Wrege D. E., Liebeherr J., & Zhang H. |
Other Numbers | 937 |
Abstract | Compressed digital video is one of the most important traffic types in future integrated services networks. However, a network service that supports delay-sensitive video imposes many problems since compressed video sources are variable bit rate (VBR) with a high degree of burstiness. In this paper, we consider a network service that can provide deterministic guarantees on the minimum throughput and the maximum delay of VBR video traffic. A common belief is that due to the burstiness of VBR traffic, such a service will not be efficient and will necessarily result in low network utilization. We investigate the fundamental limits and tradeoffs in providing deterministic performance guarantees to video and use a set of 10 to 90 minute long MPEG-compressed video traces for evaluation. Contrary to conventional wisdom, we are able to show that a deterministic service can be provided to video traffic even while maintaining a high level of network utilization. We first consider an ideal network environment that employs the most accurate video traffic characterizations, Earliest-Deadline-First packet schedulers, and exact admission control conditions. The utilization achievable in this situation provides the fundamental limits of a deterministic service. We then investigate the utilization limits in a network environment that takes into account practical constraints, such as the need for fast policing mechanisms, simple packet scheduling algorithms, and efficient admission control tests. Even when considering these practical tradeoffs, we demonstrate that a considerably high network utilization is achievable by a deterministic service. |
URL | http://www.icsi.berkeley.edu/ftp/global/pub/techreports/1994/tr-94-067.pdf |
Bibliographic Notes | ICSI Technical Report TR-94-067 |
Abbreviated Authors | E. Knightly, D. Wrege, J. Liebeherr, and H. Zhang |
ICSI Publication Type | Technical Report |