A Market-Based Approach to control Web Bandwidth Usage

Abstract

We have designed and implemented a proxy-based system which allows each user to request, and obtain a desired amount of bandwidth for web access. Bandwidth is priced dynamically based on the demand at any given time. This allows users in a bandwidth-constrained environment to prioritize their web usage, and encourages them to carry out bandwidth-intensive applications during off-peak hours.The system allows users to request a suitable bandwidth level from a Squid proxy server. The server allocates the bandwidth based on available bandwidth and demand. The user is charged based on the bandwidth level and the duration of usage. This feature was implemented by adding new functions to the Squid web cache server. These functions allow adding or removing IP addresses of users to the relevant delay pool of squid according to the user requested bandwidth. Users login to the proxy server through an intermediate server, which keeps the users accounts and login details. In addition to the user requested bandwidth allocation, this system provides user management and billing functions.