Technical Brief. VBrick Rev & DME Interoperability with Cisco Wide Area Application Services (WAAS) and Akamai Connect

Transcription

1 Technical Brief VBrick Rev & DME Interoperability with Cisco Wide Area Application Services (WAAS) and Akamai Connect

2 Copyright 2016 VBrick Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. VBrick Systems, Inc Cooperative Way, Suite 100 Herndon, VA USA This publication contains confidential, proprietary, and trade secret information. No part of this document may be copied, photocopied, reproduced, translated, or reduced to any machine-readable or electronic format without prior written permission from VBrick Systems, Inc. Information in this document is subject to change without notice and VBrick assumes no responsibility or liability for any errors or inaccuracies. VBrick, Rev, and the VBrick logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of VBrick Systems, Inc. in the United States and other countries. All other products or services mentioned in this document are identified by the trademarks, service marks, or product names as designated by the companies who market those products. Inquiries should be made directly to those companies. This document may also have links to third-party web pages that are beyond the control of VBrick. The presence of such links does not imply that VBrick endorses or recommends the content of any third-party web pages. VBrick acknowledges the use of third-party open source software and licenses in some VBrick products. This freely available source code is posted at About VBrick VBrick pioneered the next-generation of enterprise video through its Rev cloud-native platform. Named the market leader in Enterprise Video Webcasting for two consecutive years by industry analysts Frost and Sullivan, VBrick s platform allows organizations to use video ubiquitously by converting it into bandwidth-efficient streams that can be securely viewed through a web browser from any connected device. Built to leverage any cloud platform, organizations can reach audiences in the tens of thousands, compared with a few hundred using traditional web conferencing services. VBrick Rev enables organizations to centrally integrate all of their video sources, including video conferencing and unified communications, while delivering a dynamic, consumer-grade experience for employees. Technical Brief VBrick & WAN Optimization May

3 Deliver Quality Enterprise Video Experiences with VBrick and Cisco WAAS with Akamai Connect Introduction Many organizations deploy WAN optimization technologies at remote sites to reduce internet and WAN bandwidth usage while improving application and video experiences for enterprise users in the branch. WAN Optimization solutions such as Cisco Wide Area Application Services (WAAS) with Akamai Connect can cache HTTP(s) application, large file and video content on a router or WAN optimization appliance in the branch to offload the network and ensure better application and video experiences for end users. This concept functions well within the VBrick environment, as VBrick can serve as the source and distribution mechanism for all enterprise video, while Cisco WAAS with Akamai Connect can cache and deliver that video, locally, to enterprise end-users in the branch. From an HTTP(S) delivery perspective, Cisco WAAS and Akamai Connect typically caches the first request for an HTTP asset and then uses the cached asset to serve local users requesting subsequent copies. This significantly reduces latency, which improves video experiences, while offloading the network. When deploying the VBrick Distributed Media Engine (DME) with Cisco WAAS and Akamai Connect one should follow best practices and carefully consider specific network topologies, bandwidth needs, edge storage requirements and additional acceleration services required at remote locations in order to ensure a top-quality video experience for enterprise users. Compatibility VBrick is interoperable with Cisco WAAS and Akamai Connect since the solution supports dynamic caching of HTTP(s) video such as HLS, HDS, HSS and progressive download. In a supported configuration, Cisco WAAS with Akamai Connect can perform first-byte caching of a HLS live or on demand video stream. With these technologies, the first user requests content (e.g., an HLS/HDS/HSS stream) which is proxied by the WAN optimization technology. The content is then fetched, cached and provided to the first viewer. After the first request is initiated, proceeding segments of the video will automatically continue to be requested. The content can originate from Rev, DME, or another source within the VBrick environment. The Technical Brief VBrick & WAN Optimization May

4 next and subsequent users to request the stream are then served a cached copy from the router or WAN optimization device in the branch. This scheme supports subsequent chunks of the same stream and/or other streams for all viewers. Interoperability testing with VBrick Rev, DME and Cisco WAAS with Akamai Connect shows that Cisco WAAS with Akamai Connect can successfully cache and optimize videos from a Rev DME located at a central location, such as a data center or campus, and serve this live or ondemand content to additional users at the remote location. Benefits of this configuration include: 1) bandwidth usage on the WAN is limited to a single user watching the live or on-demand video, and 2) the user experience is optimized by providing the fastest start up time and highest quality stream cached on the local network. Figure 1. Cisco WAAS caches the first user s request for an on-demand video from a centrally located VBrick DME. The second user request at this remote location is served entirely from the WAAS cache. Figure 2. Cisco WAAS caches a live video stream from a central VBrick DME after the first user request for this live video. When an additional user requests the same live Technical Brief VBrick & WAN Optimization May

5 stream, it is served from the local Cisco WAAS device. Effective WAN capacity is now seen to be 2.0x actual WAN link speed. VBrick Rev DME with Cisco WAAS and Akamai Connect While both the VBrick DME and Cisco WAAS with Akamai Connect have the ability to cache and serve live and on-demand video, each has core strengths that should be leveraged in different locations of the network for maximum effect. VBrick DME is perfectly suited for a datacenter or large campus deployment while Cisco WAAS with Akamai Connect is tailor-made for a branch office. The VBrick DME s ability to natively integrate with the VBrick Rev video portal, especially in a Cloud/Hybrid deployment model, allows all videos to be prepositioned ahead of time to one or multiple headquarters or datacenter locations throughout the network where a DME is installed. The combination of the Rev video portal running in the cloud, and VBrick DME running on premise makes this Cloud/Hybrid architecture possible. The DME also serves as the central integration point for acquiring live and on- Technical Brief VBrick & WAN Optimization May

6 demand video from Cisco TelePresence Content Server (TCS), allowing seamless interoperability with Cisco s wide range of TelePresence endpoints. Cisco WAAS with Akamai Connect provides a broad range of acceleration technologies to speed up , file, web, video and VDI applications. This broad range of acceleration technologies allows reduced bandwidth consumption across a wide range of applications, including live and on-demand video streaming, all while improving the end-user experience. The strengths of the VBrick DME make it a natural fit for large campus and datacenter locations, providing the Cloud/Hybrid deployment capabilities and integration into Cisco TelePresence infrastructure components. The acceleration technologies provided by Cisco WAAS with Akamai Connect (including - but not limited to - video caching) is best leveraged at bandwidth-constrained locations, such as branch offices, retail locations and other sites. Sites that require IP video multicast and video-specific features, such as transmuxing and transrating, should consider DME regardless of size. Interoperability testing has confirmed that, with VBrick Rev deployed either in the cloud or on premise at a datacenter location, and VBrick DMEs deployed at one or more central locations, Cisco WAAS with Akamai Connect can successfully cache videos the first time a user at the remote location accesses the live stream or on-demand content, and subsequent requests are served from the local WAAS cache. The combination of using DMEs at large central locations and Cisco WAAS at smaller remote locations and offices provides the benefits of a Cloud/Hybrid architecture allowing videos to be pushed from the cloud to the enterprise network, as well as the broad range of additional acceleration technologies provided by Cisco WAAS at bandwidth-constrained remote locations. Technical Brief VBrick & WAN Optimization May

7 Recommended Network Architecture for VBrick DME and Cisco WAAS with Akamai Connect Best Practices Associated with Deploying VBrick DME and Cisco WAAS with Akamai Connect The VBrick Rev management platform has to be configured to deliver video using HLS. All videos are played using an embedded Flash-based player that allows for HLS playback including on Windows devices. H.264 also is available as an alternative output. The WebSockets protocol is used when the end client communicates with the VBrick Rev portal. The WebSockets protocol is currently not supported by Cisco WAAS with Akamai Connect. Technical Brief VBrick & WAN Optimization May

8 However, this does not impact video playback or caching of video content. Ensure that all VBrick Rev portal communication remains encrypted and is not optimized by Cisco WAAS with Akamai Connect. Conclusion In conclusion, VBrick and Cisco WAAS with Akamai Connect perfectly complement each other. As such, it is VBrick s recommended best practice to rely on its Distributed Media Engines (DME) as the core video delivery device at data centers and large campuses. To complement the DME, Cisco WAAS with Akamai Connect is ideal for smaller branch and retail locations to offload the network while ensuring better video experiences for end users. Please engage your VBrick Technical Sales resource for a more in-depth exploration of DME, Cisco WAAS with Akamai Connect, and how they best fit within your network. Technical Brief VBrick & WAN Optimization May