Broadpeak has developed a new software-based CDN benchmarking tool in collaboration with Intel. Using Intel Xeon Scalable processors and the Data Plane Development Kit (DPDK), as well as Intel Network Builders’ secure DevCloud environment, Broadpeak’s CDN benchmarking tool simulates highly realistic video player behaviours and supports new protocols. The tool aims to give insights that help content providers and communication service providers (CSPs) deliver better quality video to audiences.
“Streaming standards and protocols continue evolving, and we recognised that the industry requires powerful, agile, realistic benchmarking tools,” said Jacques Le Mancq, CEO at Broadpeak. “We developed this approach in collaboration with Intel to help Broadpeak customers increase their CDN performance, deliver a competitive QoE for video streaming delivery, and reduce their impact on the environment by using fewer resources.”
Broadpeak’s CDN benchmarking tool produces detailed information about the performance of their content delivery network in real conditions, enabling them to make adjustments, as needed, to ensure the best performance. The tool is one of the first with full support for low-latency video streaming protocols, including Low Latency HLS and Low Latency DASH. Running on Intel-based servers that can temporarily be turned into test platforms to run the CDN benchmarking software, Broadpeak’s solution is portable, easy to install on-premises, and simple to update.
As a purely software-based tool, it can run on any spare server, allowing cost-effective benchmarking and avoiding the need to invest in dedicated hardware for temporary needs. A single instance of the benchmarking tool running on an Intel-based server can support tens of thousands of concurrent clients and more than 100 Gbps of throughput, making it a good choice for large-scale CDN development and deployments.
“CDN is a fast-changing industry with rapidly evolving streaming protocols. To keep pace, content providers and ISPs need an efficient benchmarking tool that is able to emulate a real-life video delivery workload. Broadpeak addresses this challenge with benchmarking software that operates on standard server hardware,” said Lynn Comp, Vice President, Data Platforms Group, General Manager, Visual Infrastructure Division & NPG Strategy at Intel.
To learn more about the CDN benchmarking tool, see Broadpeak’s new white paper. broadpeak.tv
