Edge-based distributed admission control for multicast network

In this paper, we extend unicast admission control based on path segment measurement technique to multicast environment. The proposed scheme does not impose any requirements on the network routers other than the ability to prioritize the packets. We develop an edge probing mechanism that measures a segment of the network path instead of measuring the full path. With path segment probing, we show that the impact of cross traffic on the measurement accuracy is reduced. Admission decision is made at each potential receiver at the network edge. This mechanism improves measurement efficiency and reduces the error probability of estimating network resources. We also introduce a novel way to measure queuing delay by using a pair of packets with different priorities. Queuing delay and the bandwidth of network segments are used for the admission control located at the receiver side. Since our approach does not involve core routers, it can be easily deployed in various networks, including encrypted networks. We have evaluated the effectiveness of the admission control mechanism through a set of OPNET simulation experiments.