Managing connectivity between media edge devices for service fulfilment at first seems like a simple task, but the complexity quickly grows beyond what is possible to comprehend manually or even with traditional network management systems when you consider a scenario with hundreds or thousands of endpoints where connections are dynamically changing. This picture is further complicated when point-to-multipoint connectivity and redundancy mechanisms are considered.
VideoIPath addresses the complexity of provisioning media services across Ethernet layer 2, IP layer 3 or traditional baseband networks. The system works in conjunction with Nevion’s flexible hardware solutions that are designed to efficiently transport existing video/audio standards, but also includes open interfaces for integration of third-party devices.
The VideoIPath Connection Manager allows users to provision services without having to consider detailed configuration settings in each network element, making the setup and teardown of connections much easier. The system is also capable of performing network provisioning, and deciding the optimal media transport path through the network infrastructure from source to destinations.
A key aspect of VideoIPath is that it is intrinsically Software Defined Networking (SDN) capable. This allows the system to provision the entire transport chain from source to destination including the intermediate network infrastructure. The system integrates an Openflow controller for direct control of switches that supports this protocol. The same SDN principles is also available for integration with other network control protocols such as NETCONF and proprietary routing control protocols (for baseband).
VideoIPath auto-detects available media endpoints and allows the user to setup connections by selecting the appropriate source/destination and service profile. Additional advanced capabilities include bandwidth utilization management, protection mechanisms and redundant path calculation for the most efficient use of infrastructure with the right quality of service.
VideoIPath utilizes a shortest path first algorithm to provision the least cost path from source to one or more destinations, and performs diverse path routing to support redundancy mechanisms. The system keeps track of bandwidth allocation on each link within the core network to avoid any over-provisioning delivering predicable performance for video over IP services.