Using multicast transfers in the replica migration problem: Formulation and scheduling heuristics

Abstract

Performing replica migrations in the minimum possible time, also called the Replica Migration Problem (RMP), is crucial in distributed systems using replication. In this paper we tackle RMP when multicast transfers are available. We give a formal problem statement as a Mixed Integer Programming problem. It turns out that the problem is NP-hard. Therefore, we resolve to scheduling heuristics in order to find good solutions. Through simulations we identify different tradeoffs between performance and execution time and conclude on the most attractive approaches. © 2009 Springer.