Resource Lock Commit Protocol (RLCP) for Multimedia Object Retrieval

Many multimedia presentation applications involve retrieval of objects from more than one collaborating server. Presentations of objects from different collaborating servers might be inter-dependent. For instance, we can consider distributed video servers where blocks of movies are distributed over a set of servers. Here, blocks of a movie from different video servers have to be retrieved and presented continuously without any gaps in the presentation. Such applications first need an estimate of the available network resources to each of the collaborating server in order to identify a schedule for retrieving the objects composing the presentation. A collaborating server can suggest modifications of the retrieval schedule depending on its load. These modifications can potentially affect the retrieval schedule for other collaborating applications. Hence, a sequence of negotiations have to be carried out with the collaborating servers in order to commit for a retrieval schedule of the objects composing the multimedia presentation. In this paper, we propose an application sub-layer protocol, Resource Lock Commit Protocol (RLCP), for handling the negotiation and commitment of the resources required for a collaborative multimedia presentation application. (Also cross-referenced as UMIACS-TR-97-08

Distributed multimedia systems

A distributed multimedia system (DMS) is an integrated communication, computing, and information system that enables the processing, management, delivery, and presentation of synchronized multimedia information with quality-of-service guarantees. Multimedia information may include discrete media data, such as text, data, and images, and continuous media data, such as video and audio. Such a system enhances human communications by exploiting both visual and aural senses and provides the ultimate flexibility in work and entertainment, allowing one to collaborate with remote participants, view movies on demand, access on-line digital libraries from the desktop, and so forth. In this paper, we present a technical survey of a DMS. We give an overview of distributed multimedia systems, examine the fundamental concept of digital media, identify the applications, and survey the important enabling technologies.published_or_final_versio

NEGOSEIO: framework for the sustainability of model-oriented enterprise interoperability

Dissertation to obtain the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical and Computer Engineering(Industrial Information Systems)This dissertation tackles the problematic of Enterprise Interoperability in the current globally connected world. The evolution of the Information and Communication Technologies has endorsed the establishment of fast, secure and robust data exchanges, promoting the development of networked solutions. This allowed the specialisation of enterprises (particularly SMEs) and favoured the development of complex and heterogeneous provider systems. Enterprises are abandoning their self-centrism and working together on the development of more complete solutions. Entire business solutions are built integrating several enterprises (e.g., in supply chains, enterprise nesting) towards a common objective. Additionally, technologies, platforms, trends, standards and regulations keep evolving and demanding enterprises compliance. This evolution needs to be continuous, and is naturally followed by a constant update of each networked enterprise’s interfaces, assets, methods and processes. This unstable environment of perpetual change is causing major concerns in both SMEs and customers as the current interoperability grounds are frail, easily leading to periods of downtime, where business is not possible. The pressure to restore interoperability rapidly often leads to patching and to the adoption of immature solutions, contributing to deteriorate even more the interoperable environment. This dissertation proposes the adoption of NEGOSEIO, a framework that tackles interoperability issues by developing strong model-based knowledge assets and promoting continuous improvement and adaptation for increasing the sustainability of interoperability on enterprise systems. It presents the research motivations and the developed framework’s main blocks, which include model-based knowledge management, collaboration service-oriented architectures implemented over a cloud-based solution, and focusing particularly on its negotiation core mechanism to handle inconsistencies and solutions for the detected interoperability problems. It concludes by validating the research and the proposed framework, presenting its application in a real business case of aerospace mission design on the European Space Agency (ESA).FP7 ENSEMBLE, UNITE, MSEE and IMAGINE project

Distributed control architecture for multiservice networks

The research focuses in devising decentralised and distributed control system architecture for the management of internetworking systems to provide improved service delivery and network control. The theoretical basis, results of simulation and implementation in a real-network are presented. It is demonstrated that better performance, utilisation and fairness can be achieved for network customers as well as network/service operators with a value based control system. A decentralised control system framework for analysing networked and shared resources is developed and demonstrated. This fits in with the fundamental principles of the Internet. It is demonstrated that distributed, multiple control loops can be run on shared resources and achieve proportional fairness in their allocation, without a central control. Some of the specific characteristic behaviours of the service and network layers are identified. The network and service layers are isolated such that each layer can evolve independently to fulfil their functions better. A common architecture pattern is devised to serve the different layers independently. The decision processes require no co-ordination between peers and hence improves scalability of the solution. The proposed architecture can readily fit into a clearinghouse mechanism for integration with business logic. This architecture can provide improved QoS and better revenue from both reservation-less and reservation-based networks. The limits on resource usage for different types of flows are analysed. A method that can sense and modify user utilities and support dynamic price offers is devised. An optimal control system (within the given conditions), automated provisioning, a packet scheduler to enforce the control and a measurement system etc are developed. The model can be extended to enhance the autonomicity of the computer communication networks in both client-server and P2P networks and can be introduced on the Internet in an incremental fashion. The ideas presented in the model built with the model-view-controller and electronic enterprise architecture frameworks are now independently developed elsewhere into common service delivery platforms for converged networks. Four US/EU patents were granted based on the work carried out for this thesis, for the cross-layer architecture, multi-layer scheme, measurement system and scheduler. Four conference papers were published and presented

Building the Future Internet through FIRE

The Internet as we know it today is the result of a continuous activity for improving network communications, end user services, computational processes and also information technology infrastructures. The Internet has become a critical infrastructure for the human-being by offering complex networking services and end-user applications that all together have transformed all aspects, mainly economical, of our lives. Recently, with the advent of new paradigms and the progress in wireless technology, sensor networks and information systems and also the inexorable shift towards everything connected paradigm, first as known as the Internet of Things and lately envisioning into the Internet of Everything, a data-driven society has been created. In a data-driven society, productivity, knowledge, and experience are dependent on increasingly open, dynamic, interdependent and complex Internet services. The challenge for the Internet of the Future design is to build robust enabling technologies, implement and deploy adaptive systems, to create business opportunities considering increasing uncertainties and emergent systemic behaviors where humans and machines seamlessly cooperate

Building the Future Internet through FIRE

The Internet as we know it today is the result of a continuous activity for improving network communications, end user services, computational processes and also information technology infrastructures. The Internet has become a critical infrastructure for the human-being by offering complex networking services and end-user applications that all together have transformed all aspects, mainly economical, of our lives. Recently, with the advent of new paradigms and the progress in wireless technology, sensor networks and information systems and also the inexorable shift towards everything connected paradigm, first as known as the Internet of Things and lately envisioning into the Internet of Everything, a data-driven society has been created. In a data-driven society, productivity, knowledge, and experience are dependent on increasingly open, dynamic, interdependent and complex Internet services. The challenge for the Internet of the Future design is to build robust enabling technologies, implement and deploy adaptive systems, to create business opportunities considering increasing uncertainties and emergent systemic behaviors where humans and machines seamlessly cooperate

Semantic discovery and reuse of business process patterns

Patterns currently play an important role in modern information systems (IS) development and their use has mainly been restricted to the design and implementation phases of the development lifecycle. Given the increasing significance of business modelling in IS development, patterns have the potential of providing a viable solution for promoting reusability of recurrent generalized models in the very early stages of development. As a statement of research-in-progress this paper focuses on business process patterns and proposes an initial methodological framework for the discovery and reuse of business process patterns within the IS development lifecycle. The framework borrows ideas from the domain engineering literature and proposes the use of semantics to drive both the discovery of patterns as well as their reuse

ACUTA Journal of Telecommunications in Higher Education

In This Issue The COSTS Project: Benchmarks for Understanding lT lnvestments. How to Save Money and lncrease Revenues Cornell Welcomes Legal Music lncreasing Revenue Means Decreasing Expenses Managing High Expectations for Wireless Service on Campus Reducing the Cost of Distance Learning Making the Outsourcing Decision lnstitutional Excellence Award Sinclair Community College Bill D. Morris Award ACUTA Ruth A. Michalecki Leadership Award Interview President\u27s Message From the Executive Director Here\u27s My Advic