V3: A vehicle-to-vehicle live video streaming architecture

We propose V3, an architecture to provide a live video streaming service to driving vehicles through vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) networks. V2V video streaming is challenging because: (1) the V2V network may be persistently partitioned; (2) the video sources are mobile and transient. V3 addresses these challenges by incorporating a novel signaling mechanism to continuously trigger vehicles into video sources. It also adopts a store-carry-and-forward approach to transmit video data in partitioned network environments. We first propose an initial design which supports video streaming to a single receiver. We then propose a multicasting framework that enables video streaming from multiple sources to multiple receivers. Simulation experiments demonstrate the feasibility of supporting V2V video streaming with acceptable performance.     

CoDBT: A multi-source dynamic binary translator using hardware–software collaborative techniques

For implementing a dynamic binary translation system, traditional software-based solutions suffer from significant runtime overhead and are not suitable for extra complex optimization. This paper proposes using hardware–software collaboration techniques to create an high efficient dynamic binary translation system, CoDBT, which emulates several heterogeneous ISAs (Instruction Set Architectures) on a host processor without changing to the existing processor. We analyze the major performance bottlenecks via evaluating overhead of a pure software-solution DBT. Guidelines are provided for applying a suitable hardware–software partition process to CoDBT, as are algorithms for designing hardware-based binary translator and code cache management. An intermediate instruction set is introduced to make multi-source translation more practicable and scalable. Meantime, a novel runtime profiling strategy is integrated into the infrastructure to collect program hot spots information to supporting potential future optimizations. The advantages of using co-design as an implementation approach for DBT system are assessed by several SPEC benchmarks. Our results demonstrate that significant performance improvements can be achieved with appropriate hardware support choices. CoDBT could be an efficient and cost-effective solution for situations where the usual methods of performance acceleration for dynamic binary translation are inappropriate.     

浅谈LoadRunner在网络流媒体中的应用

随着互联网的迅猛发展和普及为网络流媒体业务发展提供了强大市场动力,网络流媒体技术也得到了广泛的应用,用户对流媒体业务的质量需求也日益高涨。本文首先简单介绍什么是LoadRunner和它的工作原理以及什么是网络流媒体和网络流媒体的工作原理,然后介绍如何运用LoadRunner对网络流媒体的播放操作进行压力测试,研究分析测试结果,提出相应的解决方案。     

群组协作模式下的网络视频会议系统

针对群组协作模式下多学科协同产品设计过程的需求,开发一个纯软件的多点网络视频会议系统.采用类B/S结构设计.基于Java媒体框架(JMF)和流媒体技术,完成系统框架设计、功能设计和媒体流交互过程的管理与控制机制,并实现与产品数据管理(PDM)系统的集成.系统提供了多学科协同过程知识交流与共享、设计冲突消解的实时多媒体应用环境.     

开放型网络英语教学系统中流媒体QoS的研究

采用设置本地端缓冲服务器的方法提高流传榆质量．在开放型网络英语教学系统中应用流媒体提供QoS的管理功能,解决音视频流缓冲问题,并提供相应机制支持网络环境下的流媒体QoS。实验结果表明,流体系结构较好实现网络教学环境下的流媒体播放,保证音视频流的QoS。采用此流体系结构能较好地实现对流的管理和控制。从而保证多媒体课件的传输质量。     

Konzeption einer Kollaborationsplattform für die zwischenbetriebliche Softwareerstellung

The development of business application software is increasingly based on the development of different components by various suppliers. In the next step, system vendors integrate these components. Hereby, inter-organizational collaboration becomes more and more important for the software industry. In order to strengthen the value-added processes within these established software supply chains, the Ministry of Economic Affairs in Baden-Württemberg funded the project TASK that aims at fostering inter-organizational design, integration, and implementation of software components. The present article on the one hand provides an insight into the structure as well as the progress of this project and, on the other hand, presents academic research results in terms of an empirical analysis of barriers and drivers of interorganizational collaboration and of the purposeful design of a collaboration platform. The article concludes with a summary and a discussion of current and upcoming issues in establishing and sustaining inter-organizational collaboration structures within the software industry.     

开放型网络英语教学系统中流媒体QoS的研究

采用设置本地端缓冲服务器的方法提高流传输质量,在开放型网络英语教学系统中应用流媒体提供QoS的管理功能,解决音视频流缓冲问题,并提供相应机制支持网络环境下的流媒体QoS。实验结果表明,流体系结构较好实现网络教学环境下的流媒体播放,保证音视频流的QoS。采用此流体系结构能较好地实现对流的管理和控制,从而保证多媒体课件的传输质量。     

Efficient and Scalable Hardware-Based Multicast in Fat-Tree Networks

This article presents an efficient and scalable mechanism to overcome the limitations of collective communication in switched interconnection networks in the presence of faults. Considering that current trends in supercomputing are moving toward massively parallel computers, with many thousands of components, reliability becomes a challenge. In such scenario, fat-tree networks that provide hardware support for collective communication suffer from serious performance degradation due to the presence of, even, a single faulty node. This paper describes a new mechanism to provide high-performance collective communication in such situations. The feasibility of the proposed technique is formally demonstrated. We present the design of a new hardware-based routing algorithm for multicast, that is at the base of our proposal. The proposed mechanism is implemented and experimentally evaluated. Our experimental results show that hardware-based multicast trees provide an efficient and scalable solution for collective communication in fat-tree networks, significantly outperforming traditional solutions.     

基于P2P视频点播技术的流媒体平台设计与开发

随着流媒体应用在Internet上的流行,传统C/S模式的流媒体服务系统已经不能满足流媒体对服务器性能和高带宽的要求,严重阻碍了流媒体业务质量的提高和容量的扩大。本文介绍一种基于P2P网络的流媒体播放技术,它将P2P网络技术和流媒体技术结合起来,充分利用客户计算机的资源,减轻流媒体服务器和网络负载,突破了传统的流媒体播放系统带宽瓶颈,能够保持播放节目流完整而流畅。本文还采用MVC模式和Java语言以面向对象方法设计和开发P2P流媒体网站,利用P2P流媒体技术,实现校园流媒体的视频点播。     

基于QoS的P2P网络服务及流媒体传输

现有的P2P网络服务缺乏服务质量保证,很难应用于商业领域。将服务质量属性引入P2P网络服务,提出了P2P网络中服务组合模型,提出了基于P2P的数字音视频流媒体传输的问题及解决办法。     

Network Externalities,Incumbent’s Competitive Advantage and the Degree of Openness of Software Start-Ups

This paper proposes a formal model that analyzes the degree of openness chosen by start-ups when entering the software industry. In line with the literature, we label as degree of openness the extent to which software start-ups mix open source (OS) and proprietary solutions in the portfolio of software products they offer. We relate the choice of the degree of openness to two key characteristics of the market segments in which software start-ups operate: the strength of the network externalities and the competitive advantage of the incumbent. Specifically, by modelling (price) competition between an incumbent and an entrant in two ways, i.e., the entrant is price-setter or price-taker, we derive the necessary condition(s) in terms of the strength of network externalities for observing the adoption of a business model that comprises the offering of both proprietary and OS solutions by the entrant (i.e., hybrid business model). Then, we highlight that, if a hybrid business model is the choice, the degree of openness chosen in equilibrium increases along with both the strength of the network externalities and the competitive advantage of the incumbent. This result holds indifferently whether the software start-up is modelled as a price-setter or a price-taker. An empirical test run on a sample of European start-ups in the software industry supports these theoretical predictions.     

FireFly: a cross-layer platform for real-time embedded wireless networks

We propose a cross-layer approach with tightly-coupled time synchronization for real-time support and predictable lifetime in battery-operated sensor networks. Our design spans a sensor hardware platform with hardware-based global time synchronization, a TDMA link layer protocol with collision-free multi-hop support and node scheduling algorithms for maximum concurrency and streaming. Our dual-radio sensor platform, FireFly, features an IEEE 802.15.4 transceiver and supports global time synchronization indoors by using an AM radio carrier-current method and an atomic clock receiver for outdoors. A TDMA-based link protocol, RT-Link, leverages the hardware for fixed and mobile nodes with a near-optimal and predictable node lifetime of over 2 years. It outperforms comparable sensor network link protocols such as B-MAC and S-MAC in terms of end-to-end latency and throughput and node lifetime across all duty cycle ratios. Operating over RT-Link is MAX, a scheduling framework which offers optimal transmission concurrency and bandwidth management for networks with regular structure. Through analysis and experiments we show that global time sync is a robust, economical and scalable alternative to in-band software-based techniques. To illustrate the capabilities and flexibility of our platform, we describe our experiences with two-way voice streaming over multiple hops. We have deployed a 42-node network with sub-100 μs synchronization accuracy in the NIOSH experimental coal mine for people-tracking and voice communication.

On scalability of proximity-aware peer-to-peer streaming

P2P (peer-to-peer) technology has proved itself an efficient and cost-effective solution to support large-scale multimedia streaming. Different from traditional P2P applications, the quality of P2P streaming is strictly determined by performance metrics such as streaming delay. To meet these requirements, previous studies resorted to intuitions and heuristics to construct peer selection solutions incorporating topology and proximity concerns. However, the impact of proximity-aware methodology and delay tolerance of peers on the scalability of P2P system remains an unanswered question. In this paper, we study this problem via an analytical approach. To address the challenge of incorporating Internet topology into P2P streaming analysis, we construct a H-sphere network model which maps the network topology from the space of discrete graph to the continuous geometric domain, meanwhile capturing the power-law property of Internet. Based on this model, we analyze a series of peer selection methods by evaluating their performance via key scalability metrics. Our analytical observations are further verified via simulation on Internet topologies.     

星载嵌入式软件全数字仿真开发验证平台

为了应对当前航天器软件功能日趋复杂与软件研制周期短、对软件可靠性和安全性要求高的矛盾,同时为了满足国产化自主可控的需求,在国产Linux操作系统下,以QEMU的 SPARC V8指令集模拟器为基础,解决了SOC2012片内外设与A6017仿真等关键问题,搭建了一种星载嵌入式软件全数字仿真开发验证平台;提出了通过共享内存解决方案,提高QEMU指令集仿真内核对外围IO空间读写仿真效率;该平台已经用于某卫星型号控制分系统软件和星务软件测试,相较于基于硬件的测试平台,该平台具有更好的可重用性和快速搭建性,能够大大降低硬件测试的风险和成本,同时具备更强的可控性以及更丰富的调试和测试手段。     

移动通信软件框架的设计与实现

提出并实现了一种基于等停协议和组件管理的移动通信软件框架,该框架采用Windows Mobile作为底层开发环境,利用面向对象、回调函数、多线程等技术,实现并封装了基于等停协议的底层网络通信接口;提出用组件管理技术解决未来业务扩展的技术途径,可为用户开发新功能提供较为完善的应用基础框架。将该框架应用到智能手机之间的即时通讯和流媒体业务的试验表明了所提出的软件框架的有效性。     

Software architecture design for streaming Java RMI

In recent years, network streaming becomes a highly popular research topic in computer science due to the fact that a large proportion of network traffic is occupied by multimedia streaming. In this paper we present novel methodologies for enhancing the streaming capabilities of Java RMI. Our streaming support for Java RMI includes the pushing mechanism, which allows the servers to push data in a streaming fashion to the client site, and the aggregation mechanism, which allows the client site to make a single remote invocation to gather data from multiple servers that keep replicas of data streams and aggregate partial data into a complete data stream. In addition, our system also allows the client site to forward local data to other clients. Our framework is implemented by extending the Java RMI stub to allow custom designs for streaming buffers and controls, and by providing a continuous buffer for raw data in the transport layer socket. This enhanced framework allows standard Java RMI services to enjoy streaming capabilities. In addition, we propose aggregation algorithms as scheduling methods in such an environment. Preliminary experiments using our framework demonstrate its promising performance in the provision of streaming services in Java RMI layers.     

A P2P streaming architecture supporting scalable media

Peer-to-peer (P2P) streaming solutions are changing the way real-time multimedia transmission is distributed over the Internet. The advances in video coding, like Scalable Video Coding, also turns possible high-quality/definition video distribution and consumption. The recent push in using the standard HTTP protocol for streaming videos in the World Wide Web, is also making converged entertainment services come closer to global deployment across TV, Tablet and mobile devices. The combination of Scalable Video, P2P networks and Web technologies for transmitting high-quality live and time-shifted media contents, is a potential area of innovation and a very actual research topic. This paper describes the architecture of a quality-centric P2P distribution network supporting adaptive and scalable streamable media, that decouples the transport mechanisms from the media content type and structure (video, audio, timed-data, timed-text), irrespective of their encoding schemes. The set of P2P streaming protocols designed for the network enables streaming of live and on-demand media, with very low signaling cost. Prototypes of the P2P network components were implemented and integrated in the streaming platform of EU FP7 SARACEN Project. A suite of tests for evaluation of the performance of the solution demonstrates that it keeps a fairly stable quality level with reduced amplitude and frequency of variations, raising the overall quality perceived by the end-user.     

Empirical evaluation of H.264/SVC streaming in resource-constrained multihomed mobile networks

Nomadic users of streamed multimedia content in mobile networks are often faced with resource-constrained network paths that suffer from low bandwidth. Streaming high-quality video in such a challenging scenario demands a set of highly adaptive schemes, which have not been sufficiently explored in particular for the emerging H.264 Scalable Video Coding (H.264/SVC) standard. In this paper, we empirically investigate the performance of streaming H.264/SVC scalable video streams to users in multihomed mobile networks containing multiple available transmission paths. Previous work has demonstrated the feasibility of aggregating bandwidth of multiple paths to deliver video streams when no single, sufficiently high bandwidth path is available. We focus on evaluating the enhanced performance of multipath bandwidth-aggregation streaming by exploiting a quality-layers based, H.264/SVC-specific packet prioritisation scheme for quality-aware multipath packet scheduling and selective packet dropping in case of bandwidth shortage even after aggregation. Additionally, we explore a base-layer rate control scheme for H.264/SVC delivery in ultra-low bandwidth environments. Through extensive experimentation on a realistic hardware-based testbed, we obtain a comprehensive and insightful understanding of the behaviour of H.264/SVC streams when transmitted across multiple paths in mobile networks. We quantify the improvements offered by the use of H.264/SVC-specific packet prioritisation schemes compared with an existing generic scalable video prioritisation scheme, and the benefits by the use of base-layer rate control in ultra-low bandwidth situations. The performance of the multipath streaming schemes is further compared with that of an ideal single high bandwidth path. We also identify the remaining challenges that must be overcome if such streaming schemes are to offer performance close to that of the ideal single high bandwidth path.     

Process-aware approach for managing organisational knowledge

Knowledge is currently considered an asset for organisations. In this new paradigm, Knowledge Management (KM) is emerging as an unavoidable activity for organisations. Information and communications technologies, together with business policies, become a tool par excellence for supporting the creation of KM platforms that provide access to organisation knowledge resources such as workers, technical reports, software applications, and business documents. In spite of the benefits provided by current KM platforms, most of them were designed to manage a single type of knowledge (tacit or explicit) without considering either the form in which organisational areas need knowledge to be provided (reactive or proactive) or the integration with business processes. This work presents a process-aware approach to develop KM platforms linked to business processes with semantic capability to manage knowledge objects with natural language content as well as to support social interactions and ad hoc working groups. To this aim, a comprehensive analysis of influencing-KM factors to be addressed by technological solutions is considered by a set of technological requirements. Based on these requirements, a model that provides the main components to be addressed by KM approaches is specified and implemented by a technological platform. This platform goes after a balance between technological and social aspects that support and promote collaboration and communication among organisation members.