An Overlay Scheme for Live Streaming Media Distribution Using Minimum Spanning Tree Properties

Abstract

During the last decade we have witnessed an explosion in offering real-time multimedia services. Despite the research effort carried out in this area, there are many issues that have to be resolved including interoperability of media distribution schemes with underlying network infrastructures and system scalability. This paper targets at presenting an overlay network architecture suitable for delivering live media streaming to a large audience. The primary goal of the architecture proposed is the provision of a scheme that can seamlessly complement and improve existing overlay solutions without the requirement of large infrastructure changes. For the purpose of the intensive system evaluation, a simulation model was implemented. The fundamental idea behind the simulation is to demonstrate the performance of the suggested architecture and its scalability for large topologies and number of users. The results from the simulations carried out provide insights and useful feedback for the design and optimization of overlay networks. Finally, we conclude with the future plans for ameliorating the proposed platform.