Traffic Shaping for MPEG Video Transmission Over the Next
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Computer Communications 23 (2000) 1336–1348 www.elsevier.com/locate/comcom Traffic shaping for MPEG video transmission over the next generation internet M.F. Alama, M. Atiquzzamanb,*, M.A. Karimc aElectro-Optics Program, University of Dayton, Dayton, OH 45469-0245, USA bDepartment of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Dayton, Dayton, OH 45469-0226, USA cDepartment of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996-2100, USA Abstract The Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) has proposed the Guaranteed Service (GS) in the Integrated Services model with firm delay and bandwidth guarantees. In this paper, we study the effects of a token bucket traffic shaper at the source on the transmission characteristics of Motion Picture Experts Group (MPEG) compressed video streams over the GS. We develop an analytical model of the traffic shaper, and also carry out numerical simulation of the transmission performance using MPEG trace data from several different video sequences. The analytical model and the numerical simulation results are in excellent agreement. Our study provides a technique to determine the token bucket parameters that have to be specified while setting up a GS flow. Our study reveals that the traffic shaping process gives an end application a wide range of flexibility in controlling the delay. By choosing appropriate token bucket traffic shaper parameters, delay can be reduced significantly without the need to reserve costly network resources for less delay-sensitive applications, while time-critical applica- tions may specify the required token bucket parameters for minimum delay. q 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved. Keywords: Quality of service; Token bucket traffic shaping; Internet video; MPEG; Integrated services 1. Introduction designed to support real-time applications like video- conferencing, which is based on variable-bit-rate (VBR) Present-day Internet Protocol (IP) provides a service that compressed video transmission. The CL Service [2] can be characterized as a best-effort service. Current IP provides a service which closely approximates the behavior network elements treat all traffic equally without any visible to applications receiving best-effort service under mechanism for providing priority to the packets carrying lightly loaded conditions of the network. There is no guar- delay-sensitive applications like real-time video. The best- antee of delay in the CL service, and it is best suited for real- effort model is sufficient for non-real-time data communica- time applications that can adapt themselves to the changing tion applications like web browsing, file transfer, remote conditions of the network. login and electronic mail. However, within the next few The MPEG standard for video coding [3] has received years, an exponential growth of real-time applications worldwide acceptance for storage and transmission of such as video and multimedia over data communication compressed video. MPEG transmission on Asynchronous networks and the Internet is expected. In order to provide Transfer Mode (ATM) networks is already a topic of exten- quality of service (QoS) guarantee to real-time applications, sive research [4–13]. Owing to the highly bursty nature of the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) has defined two compressed video streams, traffic shaping and traffic new services on IP networks which are collectively called smoothing are required for efficient utilization of bandwidth Integrated Services: the Guaranteed Service (GS) and the and network resources at various points in a network. While Controlled Load (CL) Service. The GS [1] provides guar- setting up a video or multimedia flow, network resources antees of bandwidth as well as end-to-end-delay, and is have to be reserved. The reservation process depends heav- ily on the characteristics of the video traffic to be generated by the end application and the required level of service guarantees. A traffic shaper at the source is required so 1 1 * Corresponding author. Tel.: 1-937-229-3183; fax: 1-937-229- that the traffic generated by the source is conformant to 4529. E-mail addresses: alammdfe@flyernet.udayton.edu (M.F. Alam), the pre-negotiated traffic specification. In addition, a traffic [email protected] (M. Atiquzzaman), [email protected] (M.A. Karim). shaper can be employed to reshape the traffic so that the 0140-3664/00/$ - see front matter q 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved. PII: S0140-3664(00)00180-8 M.F. Alam et al. / Computer Communications 23 (2000) 1336–1348 1337 packet stream sent out to the network is less bursty than the ensure that the traffic is not too bursty, and the shaper output original MPEG stream. This smoother traffic will require is conformant to the negotiated traffic specification. fewer resources from the network (e.g. buffer size, burst Since the token bucket algorithm (with peak rate control) capacity etc.) and hence may be less costly than a packet has been specified as the traffic policing mechanism in the stream without any traffic shaping. The aim of this paper is GS [1], a token bucket (followed by a leaky bucket for peak to study the design requirements of a traffic shaper for effi- rate control) can be used also at the source to shape the cient digital video transmission over the GS category of the traffic [18] so that the traffic profile is conformant to the Integrated Services. negotiated traffic specification. Although it is possible to Previous studies on video traffic shaping primarily adopt a traffic shaping algorithm [19] which ensures that focussed on dynamically controlling the data rate of the the transmitted traffic is conformant to a token bucket source [4–6], dynamic adjustment of the characteristics traffic policing element in the network, the token bucket (e.g. bandwidth) of a connection [7–11], and reduction of itself can also be used at the source to shape MPEG video resource requirements by statistical multiplexing of multi- traffic. ple sources [12,13]. Most of these studies are based on In this paper, we analyze a token bucket (with leaky MPEG video transmission over ATM networks, although bucket rate control) traffic shaper of IP packets at the source some studies on MPEG transmission using the Transmission end of an MPEG video source. The token bucket serves as a Control Protocol (TCP) over IP networks have been carried controlling mechanism for the traffic profile generated by out [14]. However, the IETF has specified the User Data- the source. We develop an analytical model for studying the gram Protocol (UDP) for transmitting MPEG streams in the effects of the traffic shaper parameters on delay and buffer Integrated Services model [15]. The connectionless UDP requirement. Methods for choosing parameters for the traf- protocol has been chosen as the transport layer protocol fic shaper are discussed, and then the effect of the shaper for fast transport of real-time streams on IP networks instead parameters on delay, jitter, and buffer requirement are of the highly reliable but slow connection-oriented TCP studied. In order to verify the validity of the proposed protocol [15]. As far as the authors are aware, there has not model under real MPEG traffic flow, we used simulation been any significant study on traffic shaping for MPEG video techniques to calculate delay and buffer requirements transmission over the Integrated Services IP networks.Thus, using trace data from several different MPEG video the objective of this paper is to analyze the requirements of a sequences. The simulation results show excellent agreement traffic shaper for MPEG video transmission using the UDP- with the analytical model. The significance of the study over-IP transport mechanism, and the effects of the shaper carried out in this paper is that there has not been any parameters on the transmission characteristics. previously known study on traffic shaping of MPEG video Transmission of MPEG-compressed video streams over sequences using the token bucket algorithm, and the results the emerging services of the Internet, like the Integrated give us considerable insight into the behavior of an MPEG Services, is of significant importance due to the large video stream when subjected to token bucket traffic shaping. installed base of the IP networks and the possibility of In addition, a major contribution of this paper is that it implementation of these services in near future, specially discusses a clear methodology for quantitatively specifying in corporate networks. Recent studies on end-to-end delay the traffic parameters that need to be specified for a certain of video transmission over GS have assumed either a level of QoS (e.g. delay, jitter, etc.) when setting up a GS constant-bit-rate traffic [16] or a simple leaky-bucket traffic flow. shaping [17] at the transmitting end. Depending on the The rest of the paper is organized as follows. In Section 2, shaper parameters chosen, a leaky-bucket or constant-bit- we discuss MPEG video transmission using the GS, and the rate traffic shaper either fails to utilize the full burst-hand- need for traffic shaping at the source. In Section 3, we ling capability of the GS, or cannot ensure that the IP pack- develop a model to analyze the effects of various traffic ets sent out to the network will be conformant to the traffic shaper parameters on the delay and buffer size of the specifications (TSpec) that are specified when a GS flow is token bucket traffic shaper. In Section 4, we discuss the set up. In addition, a leaky-bucket traffic shaper reduces or simulation procedure for calculating delay and buffer removes the burstiness of the MPEG data stream, and may requirement using MPEG trace data. In Section 5, we introduce large amount of delay which can result in a large present and compare results from both the analytical buffer requirement at the traffic shaper.