Content Delivery Network Strategies, by Stef van der Ziel

We just deployed a beta version of an upcoming VDO-X release on our public test platform. The most important new features are:

1) Automatic deployment

CDNs are complex architectures. Depending on the design, a single node can run multiple applications. Manually installing and configuring a CDN management server or a CDN delivery server can take some time.

To fasten up this process, to allow customers to deploy additional servers themselves, and to minimize faults due to human installation and configuration errors, we have worked on automatic server deployment.

Most server types (database, redirection, management, media server (core/fallback/burst/edge) can now be deployed automatically: drop a freshly installed Linux server in a rack, connect it, turn on the power, open up SSH, run the deployment script and the server is ready. Enter the server details in the VDO-X web admin interface and the server is operational.

This is a very powerful feature, since you can do this remotely as well, and there is no need for any appliance (geo load balancers, caches, cluster heads). Setting up a server anywhere in the network or anywhere around the world is a matter of two remote hands (left and right), a Linux box and little rackspace.

2) Sub-contractors accounts

Upon popular request, we added the ability for account owners to create sub-users with limited rights on their account. This feature is specifically intended for content owners who work with one or multiple sub-contractors who form a workflow.

For instance, you can now setup an account for a transcoding / VMS partner. All they can do is drop new assets into your account. And you can setup another account for a portal company, with just access to the API’s, so they can read out the availability of new assets and streams, for publishing.

Or, you can create an account for a staff member who is allowed to setup users for live streaming. A video producers only needs his specific password for setting up the live stream(s), you don’t have to worry about this video producer logging into the account and deleting files or watching your statistics.

Note that this feature is not intended for resellers, but for content owners with subcontrators. For reselling VDO-X already offers white labelled dedicated management servers plus shared CDN resources features.

3) Under-the-hood improvements

Some bug fixes, some interface enhancements, tweaks and tuning.

If you want to test drive the new features, let me know.