Self-* in Multimedia Communication Overlays

Multimedia Communication Systems (MCSs) usually deploy complex data distribution overlays, making the efficient interchange of multimedia content possible. The time constraints imposed by interactive communications further complicate the management of the data distribution overlays. Many MCSs have the ability to automatically manage the overlay, hence they behave as autonomic computing systems, facing events that imply changes in the relations or in the performance of their members. Self-management characteristics related to organizing the members of the data distribution overlays, balancing resources, and aggregating efforts are present in many MCSs. These characteristics, or self-properties, can be achieved using various techniques, according to the complexity and time constraints of each MCS. The aim of this paper is to classify the techniques implemented in MCSs to achieve self-management characteristics in their overlays. These techniques are classified according to a taxonomy proposed in this work, providing a unified and practical framework for understanding and comparing them. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.