Overlay multicast
Encyclopedia
Also known as End System or Peer-to-Peer Multicast.
High bandwidth multi-source multicast among widely distributed nodes is a critical capability for a wide range of important applications including audio and video conferencing, multi-party games and content distribution. Throughout the last decade, a number of research projects have explored the use of multicast
as an efficient and scalable mechanism to support such group communication applications. Multicast decouples the size of the receiver set from the amount of state kept at any single node and potentially avoids redundant communication in the network.
The limited deployment of IP Multicast, a best effort network layer multicast protocol, has led to considerable interest in alternate approaches that are implemented at the application layer, using only end-systems
. In an overlay or end-system multicast approach participating peers organize themselves into an overlay topology for data delivery. Each edge in this topology corresponds to a unicast path between two end-systems or peers in the underlying Internet
. All multicast-related functionality is implemented at the peers instead of at routers, and the goal of the multicast protocol is to construct and maintain an efficient overlay for data transmission.
End System Multicast: Streaming for the Masses
End System Multicast (ESM) is a revolutionary peer-to-peer media streaming technology that lets you view and broadcast live streaming media.
High bandwidth multi-source multicast among widely distributed nodes is a critical capability for a wide range of important applications including audio and video conferencing, multi-party games and content distribution. Throughout the last decade, a number of research projects have explored the use of multicast
Multicast
In computer networking, multicast is the delivery of a message or information to a group of destination computers simultaneously in a single transmission from the source creating copies automatically in other network elements, such as routers, only when the topology of the network requires...
as an efficient and scalable mechanism to support such group communication applications. Multicast decouples the size of the receiver set from the amount of state kept at any single node and potentially avoids redundant communication in the network.
The limited deployment of IP Multicast, a best effort network layer multicast protocol, has led to considerable interest in alternate approaches that are implemented at the application layer, using only end-systems
End System
In networking jargon, the computers that are connected to the Internet are sometimes referred to as End Systems. They are labeled end systems because they sit at the edge of the Internet. The end user always interacts with the end systems....
. In an overlay or end-system multicast approach participating peers organize themselves into an overlay topology for data delivery. Each edge in this topology corresponds to a unicast path between two end-systems or peers in the underlying Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
. All multicast-related functionality is implemented at the peers instead of at routers, and the goal of the multicast protocol is to construct and maintain an efficient overlay for data transmission.
End System Multicast: Streaming for the Masses
End System Multicast (ESM) is a revolutionary peer-to-peer media streaming technology that lets you view and broadcast live streaming media.
External links
- RFC 3170
- Multicast over TCP/IP HOWTO
- Nemo - Resilient Overlay Multicast
- FatNemo - Emulating FatTrees for Overlay Multisource/Multicast
- End System Multicast
- Bibliography on overlay multicast and application layer multicast for the IRTF Scalable Adaptive Multicast Research Group