Using dynamic configuration to manage a scalable multimedia distribution system

Multimedia applications and interfaces will change radically the way computer systems will look like in the coming years. Radio and TV broadcasting will assume a digital format and their distribution networks will be integrated to the Internet. Existing hardware and software infrastructures, however, are unable to provide all the scalability, flexibility, and quality of service (QoS) that these applications require. We present a framework for building scalable and flexible multimedia distribution systems that greatly improves the possibilities for the provision of quality of service in large-scale networks. We show how to use architectural-awareness, mobile agents, and a CORBA-based framework to support dynamic (re)configuration, efficient code distribution, and fault-tolerance. This approach can be applied not only for multimedia distribution, but also for any QoS-sensitive distributed application.