Abstract: In one embodiment, a source top-of-rack (ToR) switch may identify multiple destination ToR switches from a group of ToR switches to send data traffic to. The source ToR switch may be connected to the group of ToR switches via a base network. The system may determine whether each destination ToR switch is suitable for receiving data transmission via a point-to-multipoint wireless flyway. The two or more destination ToR switches that are determined to be suitable may be considered flyway candidate ToR switches. The system may establish the point-to-multipoint wireless flyway between the source ToR switch and the flyway candidate ToR switches. The system may then transmit the data traffic from the source ToR switch to each of the flyway candidate ToR switches via the point-to-multipoint wireless flyway.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a source top-of-rack (ToR) switch may identify multiple destination ToR switches from a group of ToR switches to send data traffic to. The source ToR switch may be connected to the group of ToR switches via a base network. The system may determine whether each destination ToR switch is suitable for receiving data transmission via a point-to-multipoint wireless flyway. The two or more destination ToR switches that are determined to be suitable may be considered flyway candidate ToR switches. The system may establish the point-to-multipoint wireless flyway between the source ToR switch and the flyway candidate ToR switches. The system may then transmit the data traffic from the source ToR switch to each of the flyway candidate ToR switches via the point-to-multipoint wireless flyway.

Abstract: In one embodiment, an intermediate node in a communication network receives a client interest with an indication of a client-requested reverse private path. The reverse private path is a label switched path toward a corresponding client with encrypted client information. In response to receiving the client interest, the intermediate node allocates a label for the reverse private path. The allocated label is mapped to a node from which the client interest is received. The intermediate node then forwards the client interest with the allocated label toward a server. In another embodiment, the server receives a client interest including a client-requested reverse private path from a particular intermediate node and determines a server interest. The allocated label for the client interest is inserted into the server interest which is forwarded toward the client via the particular intermediate node using the allocated label for the reverse private path.

Abstract: A method is provided in one example embodiment and includes communicating content to a content receiver, where a first portion of the content has a first drop priority. The method also includes determining a buffer status for a buffer at the content receiver, and adjusting the first drop priority to a second drop priority for a second portion of the content based on the buffer status. In more particular embodiments, the second drop priority can be higher than the first drop priority of the first portion of the content if the buffer is full or above a threshold. Also, the second drop priority can be lower than the first drop priority of the first portion of the content if content in the buffer has not started to render.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a source top-of-rack (ToR) switch may identify multiple destination ToR switches from a group of ToR switches to send data traffic to. The source ToR switch may be connected to the group of ToR switches via a base network. The system may determine whether each destination ToR switch is suitable for receiving data transmission via a point-to-multipoint wireless flyway. The two or more destination ToR switches that are determined to be suitable may be considered flyway candidate ToR switches. The system may establish the point-to-multipoint wireless flyway between the source ToR switch and the flyway candidate ToR switches. The system may then transmit the data traffic from the source ToR switch to each of the flyway candidate ToR switches via the point-to-multipoint wireless flyway.

Abstract: In one method embodiment, providing a multiplex of compressed versions of a first video stream and a first audio stream, each corresponding to an audiovisual (A/V) program, the first video stream and the first audio stream each corresponding to a first playout rate and un-synchronized with each other for an initial playout portion; and providing a compressed version of a second audio stream, the second audio stream corresponding to a pitch-preserving, second playout rate different than the first playout rate, the second audio stream synchronized to the initial playout portion of the first video stream when the first video stream is played out at the second playout rate, the first audio stream replaceable by the second audio stream for the initial playout portion.

Abstract: A method is provided in one example embodiment and includes receiving video data at an adaptive bitrate (ABR) client that includes a buffer; determining whether a buffer level for the buffer is below a target buffer level; applying a random delay for a fetch interval associated with requesting the video data; and requesting a next segment of the video data after the random delay. The random delay can provide for a plurality of fetch times to become decorrelated from each other.

Abstract: Techniques are provided for optimizing quality in adaptive streaming, where information is obtained relating to encoding bitrates and content quality scores for content segments of a content stream. The content segments of the content stream are provided by a content server and downloaded by a computing device. For each content segment, an encoding bitrate is determined for downloading the content segment from the content server, where determining the encoding bitrate for a current content segment is based upon an estimated current network bandwidth, constraints of a buffer into which downloaded content segments are stored, and also upon quality scores associated with content segments within a selected horizon extending from the current content segment to a future content segment in the content stream at an endpoint of the horizon. Each content segment with the determined bitrate for the content segment is downloaded from the content server.

Abstract: A method is provided in one example and includes receiving a loss report usable to determine a plurality of missing packets at a first receiver; determining one or more retransmission packets for retransmission based on a forward error correction (FEC) scheme and the plurality of missing packets at the first receiver, where the one or more retransmission packets are determined to allow the first receiver to recover at least one of the missing source packets in the one or more source packets using the FEC scheme; and sending the one or more retransmission packets to the first receiver, the one or more retransmission packets allowing the first receiver to recover at least one of the missing source packets in the one or more source packets that it is missing using the forward error correction scheme after receiving the one or more retransmission packets.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a method includes identifying a current encoding rate requested by a client device for content received from a content source, setting at a network device a rate limit to limit the rate at which the content is received at the client device based on the current encoding rate, and adjusting the rate limit based on changes in the current encoding rate. The rate limit is set to allow the client device to change the current encoding rate to a next higher available encoding rate.

Abstract: An example method for congestion control using congestion prefix information in a Named Data Networking (NDN) environment is provided and includes sensing, at a first node, congestion preventing an interest packet from being forwarded over a link to a second node, generating a prefix marker associated with a class of traffic to which the interest packet belongs, generating a negative acknowledgement (NACK) packet that includes the prefix marker, the NACK packet being indicative of congestion for any interest packet in the class of traffic indicated by the prefix marker over any path that includes the link, and transmitting the NACK packet over the NDN environment towards a sender of the interest packet.

Abstract: Content is received within a network at a content receiver and that is communicated from a content source, where the content comprises packets to be sent to the content receiver that are marked with a first drop priority or a second drop priority. A network priority is detected at the content receiver that is based at least in part upon a ratio of packets marked with the first drop priority to packets marked with the second drop priority within the content and also a determination at the content receiver of a rate of packets dropped that are marked with the first drop priority and a rate of packets dropped that are marked with the second drop priority.

Abstract: A method is provided in one example embodiment and includes generating a transmission control protocol (TCP) flow; marking a plurality of packets of the TCP flow with one of two differentiated services code points (DSCPs) according to a proportion that is selected to control a throughput associated with the TCP flow; and communicating at least a portion of the plurality of packets to a network.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a method includes measuring at a cache node located on a data path between a content source and an adaptive streaming client, a time to retrieve content from the content source, and rate limiting streaming of the content from the cache node to the adaptive streaming client based on the measured time to retrieve the content. An apparatus and logic are also disclosed herein.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a method includes constructing at a source node, a session description pointer to a session description for a media session, inserting the session description pointer in a packet in a media stream of the media session, and transmitting the packet to a receiver node. The session description pointer is configured for use in obtaining the session description by an intermediate node located between the source node and the receiver node. An apparatus is also disclosed.

Abstract: A technique efficiently selects a path computation element (PCE) to compute a path between nodes of a computer network. The PCE selection technique is illustratively based on dynamic advertisements of the PCE's available path computation resources, namely a predictive response time (PRT). To that end, the novel technique enables one or more PCEs to dynamically send (advertise) their available path computation resources to one or more path computation clients (PCCs). In addition, the technique enables the PCC to efficiently select a PCE (or set of PCEs) to service a path computation request based upon those available resources.

Abstract: The Real-time Transport Protocol (RTP) and its related standards define a retransmission packet format and a way to give feedback via Negative ACKnowledge (NACK) packets for data that has been lost. In one embodiment, a unicast RTP repair session is associated with a main Source Specific Multicast (SSM) multicast session. Real-time Transport Control Protocol (RTCP) NACK packets are then used for feedback to a SSM feedback target address. This dynamically instantiates unicast RTP repair for multicast sessions. The repair scheme can be used for repairing multicast channels or joining new multicast channels. In another embodiment, a media transmission device shares an IP address with one or more other media transmission devices. The shared IP address can also be used to route multiple identical multicast media streams to different media stream receivers.

Abstract: A technique efficiently selects a path computation element (PCE) to compute a path between nodes of a computer network. The PCE selection technique is illustratively based on dynamic advertisements of the PCE's available path computation resources, namely a predictive response time (PRT). To that end, the novel technique enables one or more PCEs to dynamically send (advertise) their available path computation resources to one or more path computation clients (PCCs). In addition, the technique enables the PCC to efficiently select a PCE (or set of PCEs) to service a path computation request based upon those available resources.

Abstract: Content is received within a network at a content receiver and that is communicated from a content source, where the content comprises packets to be sent to the content receiver that are marked with a first drop priority or a second drop priority. A network priority is detected at the content receiver that is based at least in part upon a ratio of packets marked with the first drop priority to packets marked with the second drop priority within the content and also a determination at the content receiver of a rate of packets dropped that are marked with the first drop priority and a rate of packets dropped that are marked with the second drop priority.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a method that receives a manifest for plural encoded representations of a single content stream, each representation fragmented into plural chunks, each representation comprising a different quality level, the manifest listing a plurality of representations, each representation comprising the plural chunks at one of a plurality of quality levels, and requests one of the plural chunks based on selection of one of the plurality of quality levels explicitly indicated in the manifest.