IPTV and CE's mutlicast replication

[gippstafe]

Hi All,

I need some help with some IPTV equipment we've recently acquired.

I have, IPBCAST-3427-C3 and 4 565a CE's. The bcast server and 2 ce's are at one site. One ce is a PM, and the other is a CDM. The remaining 2 CE's are at remote sites.

IPTV Server software is V5.1.1, and the CE's are running ACNS-5.3.3.7.

I can get the 3427 and PM CE running correctly(both live and VOD). I cannot seem to correctly configure the CDM/remote CE's to replicate/re-broadcast live/vod media.

I have stitched in the remote CE's to the CDM.

Can someone tell me;

1. Have I got the correct versions of the software interacting with each other?

2. How do I get the remote CE's to re-broadcast a media file that is on the BCAST server?

3. How do I get the remote CE's to re-broadcast a live channel?

I have had partial success in that I can replicate the media to the remote CE's, but how do I get a client at a remote CE site view that media via the Cisco IP/TV viewer?

Specifically, I am trying to get the VOD working on the remote sites, and in the Program manager, when I go to create a new OnDemand Program, I select the website/channel (which I have created), and once I click the create channel button, I get a response saying that the Manifest URL is invalid. In the CDM, I have used the GUI to specify content acquisiion, and not via an external manifest file.

If I use an external manifest file, where should I put this file?

Any links to documentation I have missed, most welcome. :)

Thanks in advance

[gippstafe]

ok, can I ask, has anyone setup an ACNS network, and integrated IPTV into it?

[jasondenoch]

1. I believe you do have compatible versions of software running on your CEs and Broadcast server, of course, it is usually recommended running the latest software and in the case of you broadcast server, the latest is 5.2.7. With that being said, I would try to work with what you have on the 5.1.1. I have been using 5.2.7 and have ran into some issues with file conversions.

2. For the VoD, you will probably have to use WCCP redirection to redirect RTSP to the CEs. This will have to be configured on the router. I think in your case, you would need to specify service 80 and apply either inbound or outbound on an interface. The config should look something like the following:

6500(config)# ip wccp version 2

6500(config)# ip wccp 80

6500(config)# interface VLAN XXX

6500(config-if)# ip wccp 80 redirect in

ContentEngine(config)#wccp router-list 1 X.X.X.X (the VLAN XXX interface)

ContentEngine(config)#wccp rtsp router-list-num 1 l2-redirect

ContentEngine(config)#wccp version 2

Just a side note, lookup your version of IOS on the Cisco Bug Toolkit and check if there are any issues with WCCP and the version of IOS you are currently running. There were a few bugs in the 12.1 trains depending on your hardware.

You will also have enable RTSP gateway on the CEs and define the CEs as the gateway. Actually, RTSP gateway is by default enabled but the gateway address obviously isn't defined. Another thing that will need to be done is enable the Cisco Streaming Engine on the CEs. I believe the only formats that can be streamed with CSE are .mov and MPEG-1.

3. For the live broadcasts, you will need to enable multicast locally on each segment that will have access to the broadcasts. Also, create a multicast cloud of each channel. At the scheduled time, the CEs will multicast the video and as long as the Viewer is pointed at the Program Managers and knows of the broadcast, they can tune in.

As far as getting the clients to view the file, you must define the Program Manager in the Viewer settings so the Viewer has knowledge of the Scheduled or OnDemand video.

As for the Program Manager error, you have to specify the manifest file and give the CDM administrative priviledges to the Program Manager. The manifest file should be nothing more than a URL like http://10.1.1.1/manifest/vod.xml or something to that extent.

As far as documentation, lookup the following:

Cisco ACNS Software Program Manager for IPTV User Guide Release 5.1

Quick Start for IPTV

ACNS Software Configuration Guide for Locally Managed Deployments for Release 5.3

ACNS Software Configuration Guide for Centrally Managed Deployments for Release 5.3

[gippstafe]

Hi Jason,

Thanks for your help, I've had this problem for a while now, I will take heed of your advice and update when I can.

Thanks,

John

[gippstafe]

Hi Jason,

When you say, give the CDM administrative priviledges, I thought I have to give the CDM the username/password to retrieve the manifest file. Is this what you are referring to? Can I use the FTP server to do this? or must it be http? I have tried both already.

I've tried the WCCP redirection, but I do not believe correctly. I am unsure of how to test it. Also, I've been in touch with someone who has suggested that we have the router on the segment for the clients, yet the cache engine on a different VLAN connected to the router. Is this how you did your setup?

I have also had an error come out as, "CE-PM-3-682107: No media file information" from one of the Content Engines when trying to select media for a progam via the Program Manager. (see attached screenshot). Have you seen this before? I have a TAC case logged for some of the problems I've been having, and I'll be waiting for their repsonse before I try anything myself.

Thanks for your time,

John

[jasondenoch]

John,

When I say give the CDM administrative priviledges, I mean only when creating VoD Channels. I don't have access to the system now, so I am going from memory, but when you create a channel for non-live content, you define the channel name, web site, provider, disk space and distribution method (unicast, mulitcast). When you then click on channel definition (I think), you can specify on whether or not you are using the gui for the manifest file definition or an external source. In the case of the VoD channel, you must use the gui to specify the external manifest file on the Program Manager. You then define the manifest url (http://10.1.1.1/manifest/vod.xml) and give the channel an administrative login and password to the Program Manager. After everything has been defined, the CDM logins into the Program Manager and creates the manifest locally on the PM so that it can be retrieved later by the root CE for that channel.

When you say "I have to give the CDM the username/password to retrieve the manifest file", are you meaning the Program Manager? I believe these are two seperate actions. The above is how the Program Manager learns of the VoD channels. I believe when you define the CDM username and password under Preferences on the Program Manager, that gives the PM the ability to log in and check for any new live channels created. The reason why I say this is that you can not specify a CDM login and the PM will still have visibility of the VoD channels. At least this is my theory. I had issues getting the PM to see the live channels on the CDM. I had defined a new user with administrative priviledges on the CDM so that the PM could log in with that username and get live channel information. For whatever reason, that username did not have rights to see the live channels. Only when I changed the Program Managers login to the admin account on the CDM was the PM able to see the live channels.

As far as WCCP, yes, we did have the CEs on their own segment. In this particular case, there were several user VLANs as well as the CE VLAN configured on the 6500. We simply defined the redirect statements inbound on the user VLAN interfaces and the proper statements on the CEs.

As far as the error in the screenshot, it could be a lot of things. Are you using the Cisco Streaming Engine to stream this and have you converted the files to hinted .mov files?

[gippstafe]

Ok, I think I understand what you mean about the PM knowing about the channels. This works for me as the root CE can obtain this information and replicate the media across to other CE's as well. I have live channels working from the remote site.

Example: Main site has live encoded from an input. ACNS network has a live channel defined. The remote CE picks up the mutlicasting from the main site, and re-broadcasts it to local clients.

Cool, the WCCP enforces what was suggested to me by our vendor, so I will make sure I do this correctly.

The mov file was something recorded from a live stream. I would have thought that it would create it in a format that it required for it being re-broadcasted. I've tried finding more information about the actual file, but cannot seem to find a tool that display's information about it being a "hinted" media file. (I thought hinted means that within the file it contains another stream). I will do more research to find if that is the case.

How do I distinguish between using the Cisco Streaming Engine, and RTSP? As far as I know, I have enabled CSE on the remote CE, and then also enabled RTSP interception via WCCP.

Thanks for your time.

John

[jasondenoch]

Well, as far as the .mov file, it is necessary if you are using a pre-recorded files for a scheduled boradcast. In your case, since you are doing a actual "live" recording, I believe you will be limited to using either .mov or .mp4 encoding with the Cisco Streaming Engine. I think the .mov is for remote recording and .mp4 is for Web Presenter.

As far as a tool that identifies the "hinted" portion of the .mov file, I believe QuickTime Pro might. To my understanding, QuickTime Pro can also convert regualar .mov files to "hinted". Your are right about hinting, it simply allows QuickTime encoded streaming media to properly stream when more than one track is encoded into a single stream.

The Cisco Streaming Engine and RTSP are two different things. Cisco Streaming Engine is just the application that streams and encodes the video. RTSP is a protocol using TCP/UDP port 554 that controls the delivery of the audio/video.

When the user opens the IP/TV Viewer and selects the video, in the case of VoD, the Viewer will make a request on port 554 which will be transparently intercepted by the router interface using WCCP and redirect it to the Content Engine which will acting as the RTSP gateway. This CE will answer the request for the file and reply with a unicast back to the host who originated the request.

Below is Cisco's process for Scheduled and OnDemand broadcasts.

IP/TV-ACNS Network Interaction—Scheduled Program

1. The administrator creates a scheduled program on IP/TV Program Manager and assigns it to a live channel on the ACNS network.

2. IP/TV Program Manager sends the program information to the Content Distribution Manager in the ACNS network.

3. IP/TV Program Manager obtains the address of the root Content Engine from the Content Distribution Manager.

4. The Content Distribution Manager passes the program information to all

Content Engines subscribed to that live channel.

5. IP/TV Program Manager sends the program information and the address of the root Content Engine to IP/TV Broadcast Server.

6. When the program begins, IP/TV Broadcast Server sends a unicast stream to the root Content Engine.

7. Edge Content Engines subscribed to the live channel fetch the program as a unicast stream from the root Content Engine.

8. Edge Content Engines multicast the program within their multicast cloud.

9. Users who are unable to join the multicast send requests for unicast streams.

10. Edge Content Engines serve the requests as unicast streams.

11. Edge Content Engines also serve unicast requests from child Content Engines.

IP/TV-ACNS Network Interaction—On-Demand Program

1. The Content Distribution Manager sends channel information to IP/TV

Program Manager and all the Content Engines subscribed to that channel.

2. The administrator creates a program on IP/TV Program Manager and assigns it to the ACNS network channel.

3. IP/TV Program Manager creates the manifest file for the program and stores it at the manifest file location specified in the channel information sent by the

Content Distribution Manager.

4. IP/TV Program Manager sets up the program on IP/TV Broadcast Server.

5. Based on the channel information, the root Content Engine fetches the manifest file from IP/TV Program Manager.

6. Based on the information in the manifest file, the root Content Engine acquires the on-demand program from IP/TV Broadcast Server using FTP.

7. The root Content Engine distributes the program to all other Content Engines subscribed to the channel (so-called pre-positioning of content).

8. The user requests an on-demand program.

9. The Content Router or WCCP enabled Router in the network directs the request to the nearest Content Engine that possesses the on-demand program.

10. The Content Engine sends the program to the user as a unicast stream.

Hope this helps.

[gippstafe]

Hi Jason,

You have been *very* helpfull.

I will keep posting here on how I go with the TAC calls.

Thanks,

John