Understanding Instant Messaging Traffic Characteristics

Instant messaging (IM) has become increasingly popular due to its quick response time, its ease of use, and possibility of multitasking. It is estimated that there are several millions of instant messaging users who use IM for various purposes: simple requests and responses, scheduling face to face meetings, or just to check the availability of colleagues and friends. Despite its popularity and user base, little has been done to characterize IM traffic. One reason might be its relatively small traffic volume, although this is changing as more users start using video or voice chats and file attachments. Moreover, all major instant messaging systems route text messages through central servers. While this facilitates firewall traversal and gives instant messaging companies more control, it creates a potential bottleneck at the instant messaging servers. This is especially so for large instant messaging operators with tens of millions of users and during flash crowd events. Another reason...

• Type: Conference
• Year: 2007
• Where: ICDCS
• Authors: Zhen Xiao, Lei Guo, John M. Tracey
• Keywords: Distributed And Parallel Computing, ICDCS 2007, Instant Messaging, Instant Messaging Systems, Instant Messaging Users