This paper presents principles and algorithms for the managementof a network of media servers. Such a server network allows the onlinedelivery of broadband multimedia data, e.g. audio and video streams, toa large number of widely distributed clients. Thus, the implementationof large scale distributed broadband media information services ispossible if such networks can be handled efficiently. In the paper twonew combinatorial optimization problems are defined that have to besolved for an efficient management of the distributed media serversconnected by a high-bandwidth communication network. The algorithmsconsider the case of a static mapping of media assets onto the servernetwork as well as the dynamic migration of media assets on such anetwork. The first scenario is used in the case that all media assetsare loaded for the first time onto the server network. The secondscenario is applied dynamically during run-time of an informationservice taking the varying user access pattern and changing mediacontent of the server network into account. In this paper the algorithmsare presented and their efficiency is demonstrated using some benchmarkinstances. The algorithms are part of a larger distributed system thatallows the management of a network of distributed media servers. Theprinciples of this system are presented as well as some applicationsthat have been developed and are supported by this distributed servermanagement system (DSMS)
展开▼
