How to Build DPI Products? (Part XX - Progressive Download Video Rate Traffic Shaping)

Research by Ran Dubin (pictured), Ofer Hadar from Communication Systems Engineering, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel; Rony Ohayon School of Engineering, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel; Noam Amram LiveU.

Abstract

Progressive download (PD) is a video streaming method over HTTP. Although PD is the most common streaming method over the internet it is highly inefficient from the internet service provider (ISP) point of view. ISPs need to compete with increasing competition, declining profitability and increasing client demand for network bandwidth (BW). ISPs, therefore, depend on the ability to optimize their network traffic, where video streaming has become the number one task.

As ISPs depend on deep packet inspection (DPI) systems in order to optimized and control their network, client/server shaping solution cannot be leaned on. Furthermore, such solutions are traditionally created by different buffer-based systems such as Leaky Bucket., but it is problematic to implement them on buffer -limited systems. Therefore, a highly efficient video traffic solution is needed.

This paper presents a buffer -free video streaming traffic shaping solution, based on TCP window size and  scale modification which depends on the CBR video encoding rate and network conditions. Our solution  can save up to 60% percent of bandwidth per connection under certain viewing habits conditions .Our simulation, which consisted of 3600 users over the time span of one hour, managed to achieve better network utilization by up to 25%.

See "Progressive Download Video Rate Traffic Shaping Using TCP Window and Deep Packet Inspection" - here.