Project Number: EE-DC-9601

(download in gzipped PostScript - andrews-XUDP-MQP.ps.gz - 364KB)

XUDP: A Real-Time Multimedia Networking Protocol
A Major Qualifying Project Report:
submitted to the Faculty
of the
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the
Degree of Bachelor of Science
by

Michael J. Andrews
Date: March 19, 1997

Approved:

1.internetworking
2.multimedia
3.protocol Professor David Cyganski, Advisor

Abstract:

A study of chronological advancements in TCP/IP combines with advanced topics in multimedia communications to produce a functional implementation of a real-time, multimedia internetworking data transmission protocol. This new IP-based protocol, named XUDP, uses the concept of timed-obsolescence and the lessons learned from the development of TCP/IP, yielding an end product that efficiently utilizes the available network bandwidth to transmit real-time multimedia data in a manner that maintains the end user's perception of the linear progression of timed sequential data.

 
• Contents
• List of Figures
• List of Tables
• 1 Executive Summary
• 2 Introduction
• 3 Literature Review
  • 3.1 Introduction to Internetworking
  • 3.2 The Development of TCP/IP
  • 3.3 Multimedia Protocols
• 4 Problem Documentation and Project Goals
  • 4.1 The Nature of Multimedia Data
  • 4.2 The Notion of Timed Obsolescence
  • 4.3 The eXtended User Datagram Protocol (XUDP)
• 5 High-Level System Design and Specifications
  • 5.1 System Specifications Per Layer
  • 5.2 Application Layer
  • 5.3 Transport Layer
• 6 Application Layer Sample Program
  • 6.1 Simple Stream-oriented Client/Server
  • 6.2 Server
• 7 Source Code Presentation
  • 7.1 Conventions
  • 7.2 Data Structures
  • 7.3 Application Programmers Interface: XUDP Sockets
  • 7.4 User Space Implementation: XUDP Daemon
  • 7.5 Parcel Sublayer
  • 7.6 Packet Sublayer
  • 7.7 Support Routines
• 8 Results and Analysis
  • 8.1 Early Results: Problems with XUDP's ``Nagle'' Algorithm
  • 8.2 Early Results: ``Tweaked'' Congestion Avoidance Mechanism
  • 8.3 Comparison of Early Results
  • 8.4 Fully-reliable Data Stream
  • 8.5 Simulated 10fps Real-Time Uncompressed Video Data
  • 8.6 Simulated 20fps Uncompressed Real-Time Video Data
  • 8.7 Simulated 20fps Uncompressed Video Data Under Severe Network Loading
  • 8.8 Simulated 20fps Uncompressed Video Data Under Severe Network Loading, Relieved Near End
• 9 Conclusions and Directions for Future Work
• References