Replica Creation Algorithm for Data Grids

Data grid system is a data management infrastructure that facilitates reliable access and sharing of large amount of data, storage resources, and data transfer services that can be scaled across distributed locations. This thesis presents a new replication algorithm that improves data access performance in data grids by distributing relevant data copies around the grid. The new Data Replica Creation Algorithm (DRCM) improves performance of data grid systems by reducing job execution time and making the best use of data grid resources (network bandwidth and storage space). Current algorithms focus on number of accesses in deciding which file to replicate and where to place them, which ignores resources’ capabilities. DRCM differs by considering both user and resource perspectives; strategically placing replicas at locations that provide the lowest transfer cost. The proposed algorithm uses three strategies: Replica Creation and Deletion Strategy (RCDS), Replica Placement Strategy (RPS), and Replica Replacement Strategy (RRS). DRCM was evaluated using network simulation (OptorSim) based on selected performance metrics (mean job execution time, efficient network usage, average storage usage, and computing element usage), scenarios, and topologies. Results revealed better job execution time with lower resource consumption than existing approaches. This research contributes replication strategies embodied in one algorithm that enhances data grid performance, capable of making a decision on creating or deleting more than one file during same decision. Furthermore, dependency-level-between-files criterion was utilized and integrated with the exponential growth/decay model to give an accurate file evaluation

Tributação da Netflix no Brasil : incidência do ISS sobre streaming e a (in) constitucionalidade da LC 157/2016

Trabalho de conclusão de curso (graduação)—Universidade de Brasília, Faculdade de Direito, 2017.Este estudo propõe-se a analisar a incidência tributária do Imposto Sobre Serviços (ISS) sobre o conteúdo digital disponibilizado via streaming on demand, averiguando a observância aos ditames previstos na Constituição Federal de 1988 quanto à acepção de prestação de serviço. Para tanto, parte-se de uma análise dos aspectos técnico-jurídicos do ISS, o que permitirá a compreensão das especificidades desse imposto. A fim de traçar um exame específico sobre o funcionamento da tecnologia do streaming on demand, analisa-se o modelo de negócio inovador desenvolvido pela Netflix paralelamente às atividades tradicionalmente exercidas pelas vídeolocadoras de fitas VHS e DVDs. Embora a utilização do vídeo por demanda tenha alcançado elevada popularidade, os desafios para sua tributação manifestam-se perante as autoridades fiscais de todo o mundo, tornando pertinente que sejam traçadas linhas gerais sobre o tratamento tributário internacional sobre o tema. É essencial uma análise que anteveja o posicionamento do Supremo Tribunal Federal acerca da temática, a fim de constatar se deve ser concedida primazia aos institutos de Direito Privado ou Direito Econômico. Por fim, assevera-se a inconstitucionalidade do subitem 1.09 da LC nº 157/2016 no tocante à disponibilização do conteúdo audiovisual via streaming on demand.This study intends to analyze the services tax incidence over the digital contents delivered by streaming on demand, investigating the respect of the Federal Constitution of 1988 dictates in terms of service delivery. For this purpose, it is considered technical and legal aspects relating to services tax, which will allow an understanding of the peculiarities of the taxation. In order to trace a specific exam about the operation of the streaming on demand technology, it is analyzed the innovative business model developed by Netflix in parallel to the activities traditionally exerted by DVDs and VHS format rental stores. Although the use of the streaming on demand have achieved great popularity, the taxation challenges manifest themselves in front of the tax authorities around the world, and it is pertinent to drawn general lines about the tax international treatment. An exam that predict Federal Supreme Court positioning is essential in order to determine whether should be conceded primacy to Private Law or Economic Law institutes. Finally, this study concludes for the unconstitutionality of sub item 1.09 of Complementary Law nº 157/2016 regarding to the provision of audiovisual content by streaming on demand

LC 157/2016 e a constitucionalidade da tributação da disponibilização de som e imagem online à luz do art. 156, III, da CRFB/88

Trabalho de Conclusão de Curso (graduação)—Universidade de Brasília, Faculdade de Direito, 2017.O presente trabalho busca analisar os principais aspectos relativos à tributação das atividades de disponibilização de sons e imagens pela internet, conhecidos como streaming. A discussão torna-se mais relevante em virtude da edição da Lei Complementar 157/2016, que altera a Lei Complementar 116/2003, norma disciplinadora do Imposto Sobre Serviços de Qualquer Natureza (ISS), para incluir as atividades de “disponibilização, sem cessão definitiva, de conteúdo de áudio, vídeo, imagem e texto por meio da internet, respeitada a imunidade de livros, jornais e periódicos” à Lista de Serviços anexa. Para tanto, será analisado o imposto sobre serviços de qualquer natureza (ISS), tributo municipal previsto no art. 156, III, tratando de sua definição, evolução histórica e regra matriz, em linhas gerais. Depois de situado os caracteres gerais do imposto, o estudo centra-se em analisar a possibilidade jurídica de tributação dos streamings enquanto serviço. Aborda-se a polêmica existente quanto a definição constitucional de serviço e a natureza jurídica dos streamings, análise imprescindível para o aferimento da constitucionalidade da exação prevista na Lei Complementar 157/2016.The present work seeks to analyze the main aspects related to the taxation of the activities of streaming. The discussion becomes more relevant due to the edition of LC 157/2016, which amends LC 116/2003, the disciplinary norm of the Tax on Services of Any Nature (ISS), to include the activities of "provide, without content, audio, video, image and text through the Internet, respecting the immunity of books, newspapers and periodicals "to the attached List of Services. For this purpose, the Tax on Services of Any Nature (ISS) will be analyzed, a municipal tax provided for in art. 156, III, dealing with its definition, historical evolution and matrix rule, in general lines. After the general characteristics of the tax were established, the study focuses on analyzing the legal possibility of taxing streamings as a service. It addresses the existing controversy regarding the constitutional definition of service and the legal nature of the streamings, an essential analysis for the benchmarking of the constitutionality of the exemption provided for in Complementary Law 157/2016

Cloud Services and Implementation - case Amazon and Drupal

Pilvipalvelut ovat ajankohtainen ja mielenkiintoinen tutkimuksen kohde. Tutkimusten mukaan jo noin puolet suomalaisista isoista organisaatioista käyttävät pilvipalveluita hyödykseen. Pilvipalveluiden käytöllä on mahdollista saavuttaa suuriakin hyötyjä, mutta niiden käyttöön liittyy myös potentiaalisia riskejä. Yksi suurimmista huolenaiheista on palvelun tietoturvallisuus ja yksityisyys. Pilvipalveluiden käyttäjiä huolestuttaa tallettaa yksityistä tai liiketoimintakriittistä tietoa jaettuun palvelinympäristöön. Vastapainona pilvipalvelut tarjoavat kuitenkin erinomaista kustannustehokkuutta, skaalautuvat tarpeen mukaan sekä ovat vikasietoisia. Tässä diplomityössä tutustutaan pilvipalveluihin, pilvilaskentaan sekä niiden taustalla oleviin teknologioihin. Erityistarkastelussa ovat sisällönjakeluverkot sekä niiden toteutustavat. Työssä toteutetaan kustannustehokkaasti skaalautuva ja vikasietoinen pilvipalvelinympäristö. Palvelu toteutetaan käyttäen Amazon Web Services -palvelualustaa. Luotuun pilvipalvelinympäristöön asennetaan Drupal-sisällönhallintajärjestelmä. Tavoitteena on luoda pilvipalvelinympäristössä toimiva Drupal-sivusto, joka käyttää mahdollisimman hyvin hyväkseen kaikkia pilvipalvelinympäristön tarjoamia resursseja. Drupal-sivuston käyttöönottoon pilvipalvelinympäristössä liittyy myös haasteita. Järjestelmän virheettömän toiminnan kannalta on oleellista, että kaikki palvelininstanssit toimivat täydellisesti yhdessä. Sillä ei saa olla merkitystä, miltä käytössä olevalta palvelininstanssilta tietoa pyydetään. Jokaisen palvelimen tulee tuottaa sama ulostulo samalle syötteelle. Työssä esitellään tapa, jolla Drupalsivuston tiedot voidaan tehokkaasti jakaa kaikkien palvelininstanssien kesken ja näin tukea koko järjestelmän rajatonta skaalautumista. Sivuston skaalautuvuutta tuetaan myös sisällönjakeluverkon avulla. Kolmannen osapuolen moduulin avulla saadaan Drupal hyödyntämään käytössä olevaa sisällönjakeluverkkoa. Työn tuloksissa pohditaan pilvipalvelintoteutuksesta saatavia hyötyjä sekä siihen liittyviä riskejä. Lisäksi vertaillaan pilvipalvelinympäristön ja tavallisen, yhden palvelimen järjestelmän ominaisuuksia keskenään. Vertailussa käytetään hyväksi monikriteeristä päätöksentekomallia

Digital Currencies and 5G

Στη παρούσα διπλωματική εργασία με τίτλο “Digital Currencies and 5G” μελετάται η τεχνολογία blockchain, ο τρόπος με τον οποίο γίνεται η τιμολόγηση της υπηρεσίας που εξαρτάται από τον τύπο, το πλήθος, το είδος της υπηρεσίας που επιθυμεί ο εκάστοτε χρήστης αλλά και πως επηρεάζεται το QoE από την υφιστάμενη πολιτική τιμολόγησης.In this work entitled "Digital Currencies and 5G" the blockchain technology is studied, the way in which the service is priced depending on the type, number, type of service desired by each user and how the QoE from the existing pricing policy

Atores regulatórios do streaming e o sistema de direitos autorais brasileiro

Monografia (graduação)—Universidade de Brasília, Faculdade de Direito, 2016.Esta pesquisa tem por objetivo identificar os atores que influenciam a regulação dos direitos autorais de obras musicais e verificar como estes interferem no uso da tecnologia streaming através dos exemplos citados na literatura e das participações desses atores na audiência pública ao REsp 1559264/RJ realizada em dezembro de 2015. A hipótese levantada é que os instrumentos de participação pública, permitem que os interessados se insiram em um ambiente de debate plural em que podem expor suas opiniões semelhantes e contrárias, contribuindo para a atividade regulatória estatal. Contudo, a ausência de uma metodologia bem definida sobre o critério de seleção de participantes pode inviabilizar a pluralidade dos participantes prejudicando a eficiência democrática do mecanismo. A primeira parte do trabalho faz uma análise exploratório-descritiva da bibliografia levantada, definindo como marcos teóricos os modelos regulatórios de Lessig (2006) e de Governança da Internet (MALCOLM, 2008), e identificando os atores regulatórios dos direitos autorais de obras musicais. Na segunda parte, realizou-se um estudo de caso da audiência pública ao REsp 1559264/RJ, no qual as entidades participantes foram classificadas de acordo com as categorias do modelo de Governança da Internet Seus discursos, apresentados em sustentação oral, foram analisados de acordo com o modelo de Toulmin (2006). Com a análise realizada, foi possível identificar que, além do Estado, entidades do Setor Privado e da Sociedade Civil influenciam na regulação dos direitos autorais, em particular, nos serviços de streaming. Contudo, o grau de participação destes entes em debates públicos é desequilibrado, havendo maior incidência de representantes de determinadas categorias, o que pode vir a favorecer seus interesses em prol dos de outros participantes.This research aims to identify the actors who influence the regulation of copyright musical works and see how they interfere in the use of streaming technology through the examples cited in literature as well as in the participation of these actors at the public hearing to REsp 1559264 / RJ held in the Superior Court of Justice (STJ) in December 2015. The hypothesis is that instruments of public participation enable interested parties to enter into a plural debate environment in which they can express their similar and contrary opinions, contributing to the state regulatory activity. However, the absence of a clear methodology for the selection criteria of participants can derail the plurality of participants undermining the democratic efficiency of the mechanism. The first part of the work makes an exploratory and descriptive analysis of the raised bibliography, presenting the regulatory frameworks of Lessig (2006) and of Internet Governance (MALCOLM, 2008) as theoric marks of this research, and identifying regulatory actors of copyright musical works. In the second part, we present a case study of the public hearing to REsp 1559264 / RJ, in which the participating entities were classified according to the categories of the Internet Governance model. The speeches, presented in oral arguments were analyzed according the model of Toulmin (2006). The analysis identified that in addition to the State, entites from the Private Sector entities and the Civil Society influence the regulation of copyright, particularly in streaming services. However, the degree of participation of these entities in public debates is unbalanced, with a higher incidence of representatives of certain categories, which may favor their interests for the sake of other participants

A review of the Siyakhula Living Lab’s network solution for Internet in marginalized communities

Changes within Information and Communication Technology (ICT) over the past decade required a review of the network layer component deployed in the Siyakhula Living Lab (SLL), a long-term joint venture between the Telkom Centres of Excellence hosted at University of Fort Hare and Rhodes University in South Africa. The SLL overall solution for the sustainable internet in poor communities consists of three main components – the computing infrastructure layer, the network layer, and the e-services layer. At the core of the network layer is the concept of BI, a high-speed local area network realized through easy-to deploy wireless technologies that establish point-to-multipoint connections among schools within a limited geographical area. Schools within the broadband island become then Digital Access Nodes (DANs), with computing infrastructure that provides access to the network. The review, reported in this thesis, aimed at determining whether the model for the network layer was still able to meet the needs of marginalized communities in South Africa, given the recent changes in ICT. The research work used the living lab methodology – a grassroots, user-driven approach that emphasizes co-creation between the beneficiaries and external entities (researchers, industry partners and the government) - to do viability tests on the solution for the network component. The viability tests included lab and field experiments, to produce the qualitative and quantitative data needed to propose an updated blueprint. The results of the review found that the network topology used in the SLL’s network, the BI, is still viable, while WiMAX is now outdated. Also, the in-network web cache, Squid, is no longer effective, given the switch to HTTPS and the pervasive presence of advertising. The solution to the first issue is outdoor Wi-Fi, a proven solution easily deployable in grass-roots fashion. The second issue can be mitigated by leveraging Squid’s ‘bumping’ and splicing features; deploying a browser extension to make picture download optional; and using Pihole, a DNS sinkhole. Hopefully, the revised solution could become a component of South African Government’s broadband plan, “SA Connect”.Thesis (MSc) -- Faculty of Science, Computer Science, 202

A review of the Siyakhula Living Lab’s network solution for Internet in marginalized communities

Changes within Information and Communication Technology (ICT) over the past decade required a review of the network layer component deployed in the Siyakhula Living Lab (SLL), a long-term joint venture between the Telkom Centres of Excellence hosted at University of Fort Hare and Rhodes University in South Africa. The SLL overall solution for the sustainable internet in poor communities consists of three main components – the computing infrastructure layer, the network layer, and the e-services layer. At the core of the network layer is the concept of BI, a high-speed local area network realized through easy-to deploy wireless technologies that establish point-to-multipoint connections among schools within a limited geographical area. Schools within the broadband island become then Digital Access Nodes (DANs), with computing infrastructure that provides access to the network. The review, reported in this thesis, aimed at determining whether the model for the network layer was still able to meet the needs of marginalized communities in South Africa, given the recent changes in ICT. The research work used the living lab methodology – a grassroots, user-driven approach that emphasizes co-creation between the beneficiaries and external entities (researchers, industry partners and the government) - to do viability tests on the solution for the network component. The viability tests included lab and field experiments, to produce the qualitative and quantitative data needed to propose an updated blueprint. The results of the review found that the network topology used in the SLL’s network, the BI, is still viable, while WiMAX is now outdated. Also, the in-network web cache, Squid, is no longer effective, given the switch to HTTPS and the pervasive presence of advertising. The solution to the first issue is outdoor Wi-Fi, a proven solution easily deployable in grass-roots fashion. The second issue can be mitigated by leveraging Squid’s ‘bumping’ and splicing features; deploying a browser extension to make picture download optional; and using Pihole, a DNS sinkhole. Hopefully, the revised solution could become a component of South African Government’s broadband plan, “SA Connect”.Thesis (MSc) -- Faculty of Science, Computer Science, 202

Energy efficiency in content delivery networks

The increasing popularity of bandwidth-intensive video Internet services has positioned Content Distribution Networks (CDNs) in the limelight as the emerging provider platforms for video delivery. The goal of CDNs is to maximise the availability of content in the network while maintaining the quality of experience expected by users. This is a challenging task due to the scattered nature of video content sources and destinations. Furthermore, the high energy consumption associated with content distribution calls for developing energy-efficient solutions able to cater for the future Internet. This thesis addresses the problem of content placement and update while considering energy consumption in CDNs. First, this work contributed a new energy-efficient caching scheme that stores the most popular content at the edge of the core network and optimises the size of cached content to minimise energy usage. It takes into account the trend of daily traffic and recommends putting inactive segments of caches in sleep-mode during off-peak hours. Our results showed that power minimisation is achieved by deploying switch-off capable caches, and the trend of active cache segments over the time of day follows the trend of traffic. Second, the study explores different content popularity distributions and determines their influence on power consumption. The distribution of content popularity dictates the resultant cache hit ratio achieved by storing a certain number of videos. Therefore, it directly influences the power consumption of the cache. The evaluation results indicated that under video services where the popularity of content is very diverse, the optimum solution is to store the few most popular videos in caches. In contrast, when video popularities are similar, the most power efficient scheme is either to cache the whole library or to avoid caching completely depending on the size of the video library. Third, this thesis contributed an evaluation of the power consumption of the network under real world TV data and considering standard and high definition TV programmes. We proposed a cache replacement algorithm based on the predictable nature of TV viewings. The time-driven proactive cache replacement algorithm replaces cache contents several times a day to minimise power consumption. The algorithm achieves major power savings on top of the power reductions introduced by caching. CDNs are expected to continue to be the backbone for Internet video applications. This work has shown that storing the right amount of popular videos in core caches reduces from 42% to 72% of network power consumption considering a range of content popularity distributions. Maintaining up-to-date cache contents reduces up to 48% and 86% of power consumption considering fixed and sleep-mode capable caches, respectively. Reducing the energy consumption of CDNs provides a valuable contribution for future green video delivery