Logical hierarchical cluster for blocks in the distributed multimedia on demand

In this paper, we propose a structure of the logical hierarchical cluster (LHC) for a distributed multimedia on demand application. Instead of the physical network hierarchy or the logical management hierarchy, the node is organized into a logical hierarchical cluster according to the block which it caches. The structure of the cluster hierarchy is lazily maintained by all members in a decentralized manner. As the root of each LHC is mapped into the system randomly, we can achieve a global load balance. The LHC is expanded dynamically by the two application policies in different load states. Local load balance is applied to fine-tune the load of nodes within a local region but belonging to different LHCs. The integration of topology with resource management simplifies the server selection greatly.