The Many Meanings of E-CDN: Viewing the Options

In the not-too-distant past, 流媒体内容分发的世界被分成了两个部分:你要么自己做，要么使用内容分发网络(CDN)。. 然后乌云来了, followed rapidly by hybrid content delivery solutions, 哪一种结合了云计算和本地内容缓存以及内部交付的网络智能.

这种从两种选择到多种选择的转变在企业领域表现得最为明显. 在过去, 企业可能已经使用自己的内部网络进行单播流传输——或者, 对于极少数人来说, 多播传输——但是他们仍然有移动传输的问题, or even delivery to key customers that need to be connected to live video streams, 很容易超过企业用于连接远程办公室或现场销售团队的虚拟专用网络(VPN)带宽.

今天, 然而, 企业内容交付网络(E-CDN)是一个有许多不同含义的术语，因为它有很多机会. From cloud-only E-CDNs to hybrid solutions 和 even, 在某些情况下, 在企业网络内部构建的传统内容交付网络, E-CDN为企业用户提供了向所有关键利益相关者交付内容的机会. Not only does an E-CDN work for video, 但它也经常用于向客户交付软件升级和应用程序，同时在防火墙内用于交付数据和媒体内容.

云

一个显著增长的领域是使用基于云的交付，甚至跨企业的远程办公室和其他关键合作伙伴位置. 虽然使用外部CDN进行内部交付的成本效益一直受到怀疑, the benefit of a cloud-based approach, according to its proponents, is the immediacy of st和ing up the video delivery service.

“Once a CEO decides to go video, the need is typically immediate,罗伯特·努涅斯说, vice president of marketing at Kontiki. 努内斯补充说, for this type of compelling need that generates “very aggressive timelines, many times a cloud solution is the only option.”

努内斯说，除了即时性之外，扩展到小办公室的能力也是关键.

“对于大中型企业来说，云计算也是满足每位员工需求的最佳选择,努涅斯说。. “随着员工数量和地点的增加，基于云的解决方案的价值也在增加. 混合动力 solutions do not scale well because of cost, time 和 flexibility.”

I asked Nunes to elaborate on the concept that hybrid solutions do not scale well, a natural selling point for those who advocate for cloud-only solutions, but he said neither research nor parameter comparisons were readily available.

“Kontiki is focused on mid-middle market to large enterprise,努涅斯说。. “We target knowledge workers that are highly distributed, relatively large in number, 哪里对视频通信的需求更大，包括硬件的成本令人望而却步. If we lose to a hybrid solution in this space, it is rare 和 typically due to a m和ated, 可用的解决方案, driven by internal policies.”

努内斯还提到Kontiki每年与研究和出版公司Melcrum合作进行的一项调查. 从表面上看，它既强调了Nunes试图提出的观点，也强调了我对云和混合解决方案之间长期成本情景的质疑.

“E-CDN通过提供高质量的体验与业务最直接相关, which is reflected in prior-year reports,努涅斯说。, 注意的是,, 在2013年报告中, webcasting was considered the most important issue, 因为对于典型的业务关键事件来说，直播是最难解决的视频传输问题, such as the CEO ‘all h和s’ meeting”.

We’ll look at the initial 2014 survey results later in this article, but let’s now shift back to the more traditional E-CDN approach.

内部E-CDNs

The origins of E-CDNs go almost as far back as traditional CDNs. The “big iron” companies such as 思科 和 瞻博网络 offered Quality of Service (QoS) across leased-line infrastructures, 从传统的基于电话的“细线”数据线路(如ISDN)到基于分组的ATM和, 最终, 地铁以太网, 和 multiple-protocol solutions, 包括MPLS. Typically quality of service could be defined in software used to program the routers used by large enterprise 和 telecom service providers; 思科’s IOS 和 瞻博网络’s JunOS are two examples.

然而，传统的QoS解决方案只有在视频内容以视频为中心的协议在企业网络中传输时才有效, from RTP/RTSP 和 RTMP to the more traditional H.思科、LifeSize和Polycom提供的264个视频会议和远程呈现产品. 我们在2013年10 / 11月刊的《百家乐app下载》(http://go2sm)中报道了企业视频会议和网真的一些进展.com/videoconferencing).

自适应比特率(ABR)和基于http的媒体传输的出现改变了企业视频传输的QoS游戏. 虽然许多企业IT组织最初寻求在防火墙后为实时流保留QoS, 通信部门被迫为高管们的iPad和iPhone设备提供基于http的传输服务. This dual requirement led to the use of hybrid 和 cloud solutions, 但大型钢铁公司已经回来提供内部解决方案，以满足希望控制端到端解决方案的企业的两种需求.

其中一个产品是 思科的VideoScape 解集, which is largely based on its acquisition of Inlet Technologies’ Armada, 大三角帆, 和 other product lines. VideoScape产品独立于整个思科ECDS(企业内容交付系统)产品, 后者基于双设备解决方案，使用“具有多种功能的虚拟刀片，可以向智能手机上的最终用户提供流媒体和点播视频”, tablets 和 even digital signage or over-the-top devices. 思科提供了一个 演示站点 that also contains a block diagram of a typical VideoScape solution:

对于ECDS方法, which is fairly straightforward, “内容获取器”设备从原始服务器(包括Adobe Media server或Wowza streaming Engine)接收点播或实时流媒体内容，然后将其传递给分支机构的“服务引擎”. 在理想的情况下, the content acquirer appliance 和 origin server are on the same corporate LAN, 而位于该位置的内容感知路由器通过公司广域网协商将请求的内容传递到分支机构. For the VideoScape 解集, 然而, origin servers can sit in the cloud 和 then pass content on to a distribution suite, whether it’s an external or internal CDN or a portal/publishing point.

As with a traditional CDN, on-dem和 content can be cached at the branch office service engines, 以便广域网流量保留用于更多关键任务数据传输或实时流事件.

全内部视频传输或E-CDN构建的挑战仍然是需要将iOS(非flash)视频消费与Android集成, Mac, 和Windows设备.

混合动力

如果内部e - cdn位于企业视频交付频谱的一端，而云解决方案位于另一端, the middle ground is occupied by hybrid solutions.

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