Cooperative Content Distribution and Traffic Engineering

Speaker:	Joe, Wenjie JIANG
		Department of Computer Science
		Princeton University

Title:		"Cooperative Content Distribution and Traffic
		 Engineering"

Date:		Monday, 1 September 2008

Time:		5:00pm - 6:00pm

Venue:		Lecture Theatre F
		(Leung Yat Sing Lecture Theatre, near lifts 25/26)
		HKUST

Abstract:

Traditionally, Internet Service Providers (ISPs) make profit by providing
Internet connectivity, while content providers (CPs) play the more
lucrative role of delivering content to users.  As network connectivity is
increasingly a commodity, ISPs have a strong incentive to offer content to
their subscribers by deploying their own content distribution
infrastructure.  Providing content services in a provider network presents
new opportunities for coordination between server selection (to match
servers with subscribers) and traffic engineering (to select efficient
routes for the traffic). In this work, we utilize a mathematical framework
to show that separating server selection and traffic engineering leads to
a sub-optimal equilibrium, even when the CP is given accurate and timely
information about network conditions.  Leveraging ideas from cooperative
game theory, we propose that the system implements a Nash bargaining
solution that significantly improves the fairness and efficiency of the
joint system. This study is another step toward a systematic understanding
of the interactions between those who generate and distribute content and
those who provide and operate networks.

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Biography:

Joe, Wenjie JIANG is pursuing his Phd degree in the Department of Computer
Science at Princeton University. His advisor is Prof. Jennifer Rexford and
Prof. Mung Chiang. His Phd topic is efficient content distribution on the
Internet, as well as the impact on the Internet Service Providers (ISPs).
His research interest also lies in the theoretic topics of data networks,
performance evaluation, mathematical optimization and game theory.