Video server scheduling using random early request migration

Video request migration among servers to achieve effective video-on-demand (VoD) services is investigated in this work. Our study is focused on the design and analysis of a random early migration (REM) scheme for user requests. When a new request is dispatched to a video server, the REM-based scheduler decides whether request migration is needed with a certain probability, which is a function of the service load. To analyze the request migration process, we introduce a state matrix representation that stores the service load information of each video server and plays an important role in the determination of migration paths. Based on this representation, we develop two methods to calculate performance metrics: the service failure rate and the system delay in service migration. Simulation results show that the REM scheme outperforms both the DASD dancing algorithm 1] and the traditional migration scheme adopted in 2,3] with shorter service delay and lower failure rates. It is also confirmed that our theoretical results match well with experimental results. Revised: 24 October 2004, Published online: 8 April 2005