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Backstories
Advanced Streaming Delivery
Produced by Bill Birney Microsoft Corporation May 2005
It's fairly easy to connect a Windows Media server to the Internet and stream video. Just about anyone with a broadband connection and a computer running a Windows Server 2003 operating system can stream Windows Media audio and video content to a small number of end users anywhere in the world. However, streaming delivery gets more complicated and expensive as you add end users.
For example, three end users streaming a 20 Kilobit per second (Kbps) radio station can be easily accommodated with one server and a reliable 300 Kbps broadband connection. But if you need to accommodate tens of thousands of end users located throughout the world, the best solution is to use an advanced streaming delivery system called a content delivery network (CDN).
This month, we learn about CDNs from Nine Systems, a Windows Media Premiere Certified Hosting Provider. The Nine Systems CDN provides reliable and scalable hosting of streaming and download content to medium-to-large audiences, and a comprehensive set of content-management tools and services for streaming customers. As you will see, the Nine Systems infrastructure and staff can handle almost any customer need, while keeping the cost of content delivery under control.
The Cost of Going It Alone
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(300 Kbps, 5:40)
Troy Snyder, CEO, and Pete Mountanos, CTO, provide a helpful reality check for those who think it's easier and less expensive to host streaming and large-size download content themselves.
About Nine Systems
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(300 Kbps, 4:03)
Troy and Pete describe CDNs in general, and the advantages of hooking up with a full-service company, like Nine Systems, that goes well beyond the basics to provide customers a complete, integrated, customized package of services.
Using Stream OS
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(300 Kbps, 4:40)
Josh Cheshire, Nine Systems client services manager, takes us on a tour of Stream OS, the content-management tool that their customers can use to do things like upload content and create usage reports.
Content Delivery Networks
The basic method of hosting content uses a centralized system, in which client computers connect to one server or to a cluster of centrally located servers. A CDN, on the other hand, uses a decentralized system that employs a number of regionally located servers. When a client attempts to connect, a redirector system routes the client request to the server that will provide the best connection, which is typically the closest server. By moving hosting out to the "edge" of the network, bandwidth usage is spread out among servers and network segments, instead of being concentrated on one central server. Multiple servers also improve the reliability of the system by providing redundant sources.
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