Managing client bandwidth in the presence of both real-time and non real-time network traffic

Abstract

Managing client downstream bandwidth is an issue that is rapidly gaining in importance due to the increasing extent to which multimedia content is being exploited in networked applications. Depending on its characteristics, this multimedia content is exchanged in either a real-time or non real-time manner. In this paper, we present the NIProxy, a network intermediary which introduces different types of intelligence in the transportation network in an attempt to improve the Quality of Experience (QoE) provided to users of networked applications. In particular, we concentrate on the NIProxy's bandwidth distribution functionality and we report on how support for non real-time network traffic was incorporated through the adoption of buffering as well as rate control techniques. Using representative experimental results, we demonstrate the NIProxy's capability to successfully manage client downstream bandwidth in the presence of both real-time and non real-time network traffic. In addition, the presented experimental results are compared to the default scenario in which the NIProxy is not involved, revealing a considerable improvement in the user's QoE in case the NIProxy's bandwidth management functionality is leveraged.