Efficient connection admission control for real-time video multiplexing

We tackle the problem of characterizing variable bit rate MPEG sources in order to allow for efficient video multiplexing in asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) networks. We show that the gamma distribution is a good tool for modeling the aggregate traffic of homogeneous as well as heterogeneous VBR MPEG sources. Therefore, we propose the use of simple and intuitive video descriptors based on the gamma modeling of the sources: the mean rate and variance. We show that the proposed descriptors allow for the implementation of an efficient connection admission control (CAC) function that agrees well with simulation results. We also show how this video characterization may be used in conjunction with rate shaping algorithms (variance control) to provide an even more efficient CAC.