This paper presents the Performance management platform of the BETEUS network. Beteus performs multimedia application trials in a testbed based on an ATM WAN interconnection of local ATM nodes. Sophia-Antipolis (F), Lausanne (CH), Zurich (CH), Geneva (CH), and Stockholm (SE) are interconnected over the European ATM Pilot. The BETEUS application platform allows geographically separated participants to actively take part in group discussions from their personal workstations equipped with audio and video capabilities. Therefore the Beteus application platform is a typical example of the future multimedia applications with its complexity with regard to numerous factors such as the information type, the distribution of users and their interactions, the information flow, and the stringent Quality of Service requirements. The multimedia high transfer rates place important constraints on networks and hosts at several levels. Statistics are collected during the multimedia sessions and analysed off line in order to evaluate the Grade of Service. The management platform focuses more specifically on measurement and statistics of network utilisation in order to understand what Quality of Service means for end user applications in a real environment, how network management can be used to influence end to end application servicing, and in which respect the ATM technology fits the needs of end user applications. The management activity permits a better understanding of the nature of the performance problems encountered by multimedia applications at different level during this earliest phase of ATM network deployment.
