| Abstract
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The increasing variety of networks and end systems results in a heterogeneous environment which pose new challenges in communication support for multicast based collaborative applications. In traditional multicasting, the sender transmits data at the same rate to all receivers independent of their network characteristics, end system equipment, and users' preferences about media quality. Such an approach results in resources being wasted and may also result in some receivers having their quality expectations unsatisfied. This problem can be addressed by applying dynamic, in-network adaptation of multicast streams according to available channel bandwidth, performance of client systems, and clients' preferences. To date, there has been some research in this area but little with practical implementations. The goal of this research is to design, implement, and assess an active network based framework to support collaborative applications by dynamically adapting (modifying) the media streams at intermediate active nodes taking into account network heterogeneity and clients' preferences. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)
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