Multiple-channel multicast scheduling for scalable bulk-data transport

A key technique for allowing servers to handle a large volume of requests for file transfers is to multicast the data to the set of requesting clients. Typically the paths from the server to the clients will be heterogeneous in bandwidth availability. Multiple-channel multicast (MCM) is an approach that can be used to handle this heterogeneity. In this approach the data is multicast over multiple channels, each addressed as a separate multicast group. Each receiver subscribes to a set of channels (i.e., joins the corresponding multicast groups) commensurate with its own rate capabilities. Of particular interest in the design of MCM schemes is the scheduling of data transmission across the multiple channels to accommodate asynchronous requests from clients. In this paper we present and analyze a new multiple-channel multicast approach called partition organization scheduling. The scheme is designed to result in good reception efficiency when compared to existing proposals while improving on their performance when other measures of interest are considered.