MEDIC: A Memory & Disk Cache for Multimedia Clients

In this paper we propose an integrated memory and disk cache for multimedia clients. The cache cushions the multimedia decoder from input rate fluctuations and mismatches, and because data can be cached to disk, the acceptable fluctuations can be very large. This gives the media server much greater flexibility for load balancing, and lets the client operate efficiently when the network rate is much larger or smaller than the media display rate. We analyze the memory requirements for this cache, and analytically derive safe values for its control parameters. Using a realistic case study, we examine the interaction between memory size, peak input rate, and disk performance, and show that a relatively modest amount of main memory can support a wide range of scenarios.