The course of Multimedia Internet (10 credits) is divided into two parts (part 1: 5 credits, part 2: 5 credits). Part 2 is the course of Multimedia Internet Applications (5 credits). The course is organized in such a way that the student can take the 5 credits course of Multimedia Internet Applications (that is, part 2 of the Multimedia Internet course) can do it without having to study any material related to part 1 (i.e., the two parts of the course are independent).

The main objective of the Multimedia Internet course is to teach the students the transport of multimedia contents through the Internet and, more in general, through IP networks (public or proprietary). This topic is analyzed from different points of vie in part 1 and part 2.

Part 1 (Multimedia Internet course only).

Part 1 addresses the transport of multimedia contents through the Internet considering the "user plane", that is, it analyzes the protocols and network architectures used to carry media streams through the network (or across a series of networks) with the necessary Quality of Service level. Therefore, the following topic will be addresses: definition of Quality of Service for different types of media, techniques to guarantee the requested Quality of Service, among which Resouce Allocation, Admission Control, Traffic Conditioning, Scheduling, Active Queue Management.

Part 1 has also a methodological component in which the student will learn how to analyze and design, quantitatively, a multiservice IP network for the transport of multimedia streams.

Part 2 (Multimedia internet course and Multimedia Internet Applications course).

Part 2 addresses the same main topic of part 1, but from the point of view of the "control plane", that is, it explains how the network devices cooperate through signaling to establish, tear down and maintain multimedia connections. Part 2 is focused on protocols and network architectures, and it includes the Real Time Streaming Protocol, Session Initiation Protocol, H.323. It also addresses the topic of interworking, that is, how networks with different signaling systems can cooperate to establish end-to-end multimedia connection. Part 2 also considers Peer-to-Peer systems, especially those focused on peer-to-peer telephony and video streaming. Also the P4P (Proactive Provider Participation for P2P) will be considered. Part 2 will also provide a framework built around the Next Generation Access Networks  and IP interconnection system to let the student positioning correctly the studied topics in the current Internet architecture.

Part 1 (Multimedia Internet course only).

Part 1 - Knowledge and understanding.

The student will learn

- how to understand and define correctly and quantitavely a Quality of Service objective, the concept of Service Level Agreement (SLA) and traffic Conditioning agreement.

- The architecture and operation modes of Traffic Conditioners (policers, shapers, markers).

- How Resource Allocation and Admission Control work.

- The type of schedulers used in network routers and how they work.

- How Active Queue Management works and when it is adviceable to use it.

- The IP Differentiated Services and IP Integrated  Services network architectures.

Part 1 - Apply Knowledge and understanding.

The student will learn quantitative methods to analyze and design IP multiservice networks that use the techniques listed above to transport multimedia services qith Quality of Service.

The student will learn how to dimension a multiservice network given a requested set of multimedia connections and corresponding Quality of Service targets.

Part 1 - Learning skills.

- Understanding precisely how multiservice networks work

- Learning new method for the analysis and design of multiservice networks.

Part 2 (Multimedia Internet course and Multimedia Internet Applications course).

Part 2 - Knowledge and understanding.

The student will learn

- to understand how a signaling system works, with special reference to the transport of multimedia contents.

- to understand the issues and complexity of interworking different signaling systems.

- to understand the differences between "underlay" and "overlay" multimedia networks.

Part 2 - Apply Knowledge and understanding.

The student will learn

- How to evaluate a signaling architecture and identify the requirements related to interworking signaling systems.

Part 2 - Learning skills.

- Understanding how the control of a multiservice network works, what are the requiremetns and contraints, related to the type of services to be delivered.

Part 1 (Multimedia Internet course only):

Aanalysis and design of IP multimedia networks with quality of service.

1. Multimedia communications and Quality of Service (QoS) issues. Audio/video digital media. Service Level Agreements (SLA); definition of QoS requirements; customer-proivider contracts.

2. The traffic Profile. The Traffic Conditioning Agreement (TCA). Controlling TCA. Traffic regulation: policing; marking; shaping.

3. Resource allocation for QoS guarantee. The usage of TCA and SLA. Scheduling policies.

4. Practical architectures for QoS-oriented delivery. The IP Differentiated Services architecture. The IP Integrated Services architecture. The MultiProtocol Label Switching. QoS and routing. COPS (Common Open Policy Service).

5. Design of IP networks with QoS. The Network Calculus; managing regulated traffic; traffic envelopes and service envelopes. Design of FIFO, SP, GPS and EDF schedulers. Design of networks of schedulers with both short-range dependent and long-range dependent traffic.

Part 2 (Multimedia Internet course and Multimedia Internet Applications course):

Multimedia services in the Next Generation Network.

1. The Next Generation Network and ultra-large bandwidth services. NGN architectures, Fiber to the Exchange, Fiber to the cabinet, Fiber to the Building, Fiber to the Home. point-to-point and Passive Optical Network systems. The Next generation Network in Italy, Europe. IP peering models. Net Neutrality.

2. Service architectures in the NGN: Service Layer, Transport Layer. Requirements of multimedia services. Interconnection of NGN networks.

3. Internet multimedia communications: digital media, audio and video codecs. Mobile voice quality: VoLTE, HD voice. Consumer-oriented multimedia applications; file sharing; video on demand; videotelephony; videoconference; IP television, interactive TV.

4.  IP TV and Internet TV; technological features; architectures. The value chain of the IP TV; the content provider, the service provider, the network provider, the final customer. Internet TV; the long tail of internet TV contents; YouTube.

5. Peer to peer (P2P) systems for file sharing. Overlay architectures of P2P systems. Centralized and distributed P2P systems. Resource organization with Distributed Hash Tables. Chord. Query management in Gnutella, Gnutella 2, EDonkey, KAD, Bit torrent.

6. P4P systems, architectures and standards.

7. P2P audio-video streaming; architectures and protocols; cost/performance aspects of IP TV and Internet TV. Protocols for resource discovering. Routing in P2P networks. P2P television. Real-time streaming; Real Time Streaming Protocol. Architectures of video streaming systems; distributed and centralized architectures; Content Delivery Networks. Internet broadcasting.

8. Peer-to-peer telephony; Skype. Architectures and protocols for Voice over IP (VoIP). H.323. Session Initiation Protocol. Real Time Protocol.

9. Interworking of VoIP and classic PSTN telephony; SIGTRAN; Media Gateway Control Protocol; Softswitch architecture; media gateway;signalling gateway; adaptation layers of sigtran (M2UA, M3UA, M2PA). SCTP.

Basic knowledge of telecommunications networks.

Part 1 (Multimedia Internet course only):

Written exam.

Exercises 1 and 2, numerical. (1. Knowledge and understanding. 2. Apply Knowledge and understanding. 3. Learning skills.)

Exercise 3. Written open question on Protocols/Network architectures (see topics above).

Part 2 (Multimedia Internet course and Multimedia Internet Applications course):

Written exam.

Exercises 1, 2, 3: Written open question on Protocols/Network architectures (1. Knowledge and understanding. 3. Learning skills.)

Exercise 4: A specific case signaling architecture to be examined and commented by the student, with the purpose of highlighting possible weak points, issues and if needed suggestion of improvments (1. Knowledge and understanding. 2. Apply Knowledge and understanding. 3. Learning skills.)