StriveCast eCDN Full POC Guide
Overview
This document provides a high-level overview of how StriveCast conducts a Proof Of Concept for your organization. Ultimately, a successful POC should lead to a commercial agreement between the customer and StriveCast or a StriveCast partner. StriveCast offers a POC free of charge, assuming that all assumptions and terms in the POC scope are correct.
For any further questions, please reach out to your StriveCast representative.
Involved Stakeholders
From StriveCast | From Customer |
---|---|
StriveCast Sales Director
| Corporate Communications Representative
|
StriveCast Technical Account Manager
| Enterprise Network Specialist
|
POC Action Plan
The following steps cover the full process of a proof of concept with StriveCast eCDN from first evaluation to commercial decision-making.
Action Plan | Description |
---|---|
Step 1 - Compatibility Check | To engage in a POC with StriveCast eCDN, we need to confirm that all involved technology components, such as the video platform, the video player, your network and caching software, and used browsers are compatible with StriveCast eCDN. |
Step 2 - Product Integration | Before testing StriveCast eCDN at scale, we need to ensure that your corporate network is, in fact, ready to run StriveCast eCDN and deliver video data accurately within your locations and subnets. Product Integration is a process on its own and needs to be completed before the proof of concept can be completed. |
Step 3 - Data Collection | This step involves collecting actual data from your network, which will be used to evaluate StriveCast eCDN and decide whether or not to go forward with StriveCast as your vendor of choice. |
Timeline
Meeting | Step | Description | Time |
---|---|---|---|
Initial Meeting | Compatibility Check |
| Initially |
Product Integration Kick-Off | Product Integration |
| After 1-3 days |
Review of network mapping data | Product Integration |
| After 1-5 days |
Data collection start | Data Collection |
| After 1-3 days |
Network report review | Data Collection |
| After 2-10 days |
Depending on how quickly both parties can act, the POC should require a total of 7-21 days but not more than 30 days in total.
Scope of the POC
Assumption / Requirement |
---|
The customer has given written confirmation of the intent to purchase StriveCast eCDN from StriveCast or a StriveCast partner. |
The customer has confirmed a date/event until the solution should be fully set up and ready to be deployed to the customer’s network. |
The customer agrees that the POC should not exceed a total of 30 days, including the Data Collection phase (Step 3). |
The customer agrees that the total number of users included in the data collection phase should not exceed:
Exceeding these numbers will require a paid POC. If you are interested in a larger POC setup, please contact your StriveCast representative for further details. |
Step 1 - Compatibility Check
Please check with the Compatibility Matrix (Appendix A) to verify that all of your technologies and tools are supported by StriveCast.
Step 2 - Product Integration
The StriveCast product integration guide walks you through enabling your corporate network to run StriveCast eCDN at scale and deliver video according to your network and security guidelines.
For further details, you can find all the required information in the StriveCast Product Integration Presentation.
The main steps required during the product integration process are the following:
Requirement | Description |
---|---|
Provide Network Map | To guarantee a maximized peering efficiency, StriveCast needs to understand:
For this, StriveCast provides a spreadsheet template, which has to be filled out and returned to StriveCast. |
Enable local IP collection | StriveCast needs to read a user’s local IP address to connect it to other users properly. By default, local IP detection is not possible within a modern browser. You can achieve this in 3 different ways:
|
Activate StriveCast in your webcast platform | Depending on your chosen webcasting platform, you need to enable StriveCast within the platform. You can contact us directly or talk to your platform provider to help with the integration. |
Step 3 - Data Collection
The data collection guide informs about different possibilities to collect the corresponding data and how success is defined. Please note that the data collection phase only can be initiated after the product has been integrated successfully.
Data Collection Method
Before starting the data collection phase, you need to select your preferred data collection method based on scale, time, and level of insight required for your POC.
Data Collection Method | Description |
---|---|
Silent Test (Recommended) | Uses the StriveCast Silent Test browser plugin, which can be deployed via a browser group policy. The StriveCast silent test does not require any local software/agent installation and is purely browser-based. Pros
Cons
|
Real Live Event | StriveCast offers to activate StriveCast eCDN for one real event during the POC as data source for product evaluation. Pros
Cons
|
Local Test | Small local test setup, based on 20-100 users who are participating in a sample webcast. Typically done via an email invitation to a couple of employees. Pros
Cons
|
Collected Data
StriveCast will use the following data to evaluate your POC. For more details about collected data, data security measures, and our data privacy policies, please reach out to your StriveCast representative.
Data Point | Description |
---|---|
Metrics | |
Utilization Rate | The total ratio of viewers who are part of the P2P network and can potentially share data. |
Savings Rate | The total percentage of data fetched over the P2P network instead of the origin. Filtered by utilized users. |
Effective Savings Rate | The total percentage of data fetched over the P2P network instead of the origin. Filtered by all users. |
Peer Count | The average number of P2P neighbors per peer. |
Dimensions | |
Location | Based on local IP information and the configured Locations containing allowed and blocked local IP ranges, the user's location is based on local IP information. |
City | The user’s city, based on public Geo-IP information. |
Country | The user’s country, based on public Geo-IP information. |
Browser | The user’s browser, based on the tracked user agent. |
Operating System | The user’s operating system, based on the tracked user agent. |
Location type | One of the following (based on configured Locations):
|
Success Criteria
Test | Measurement | Recommended Results |
---|---|---|
StriveCast Receives Data | Number of events received during test window. | Result should be greater than 0. |
Local IPs Resolvable | Number of users with an empty ‘local_ip’ data field. | Result should be 0. |
Peering Enabled For Allowed Ranges | Utilization Rate by Location Filter: Select only allowed IP ranges | Utilization Rate should be at least 95%. |
No Peering For Blocked Ranges | Utilization Rate by Location Filter: Select only blocked IP ranges | Both measurements should be 0%. |
Peering Effective For Allowed Ranges | Savings Rate by Location Filter:
|
|
Cluster Size Accurate | Cluster size by Location Filter:
| Result should be at least 80% of configured cluster size (default is 20). |
All Locations Tested | Number of locations with less than 10 total users. | Result should be 0. |
Locations Cover All Users | Number of users that are neither within an allowed nor in a blocked IP range. | Result should be 0. |
Appendix A - Compatibility Matrix
Read this article to understand which technology vendors StriveCast is compatible with.
If you cannot find your technology vendor in this document, please reach out to us so we can examine your situation in detail. It is likely that the technology is supported by StriveCast but has not yet been added to this document.
Supported Video Platforms
StriveCast solution is integrated and officially supported by multiple video platforms and solutions. You can get detailed information about the integration by visiting the individual documentation or the deployment section in the StriveCast portal. If you do not find your video platform, please do not hesitate to open a ticket at the StriveCast Help Center.
Clevercast by Rambla |
EMEX by Voqin |
Kaltura |
MediaPlatform |
Microsoft Stream |
Webcast by movingimage |
simplex by xtendx |
SlideSync by MES |
Streamlab |
StreamStudio by WTV |
MMS by T-Systems |
ViMP |
Supported Browsers
Vendor | Supported |
---|---|
Google Chrome | Supported (Version 23+) |
Mozilla Firefox | Supported (Version 22+) |
Microsoft Edge | Supported (Version 79+) |
Microsoft Internet Explorer | Not supported |
Safari | Supported (Version 11+) |
Safari Mobile | Supported (Version 11+; only for smartphones) |
Opera | Supported (Version 18+) |
Supported Streaming Protocols
Protocol | Supported |
---|---|
HLS | Fully supported |
DASH | Fully supported |
Smooth | Not supported |
Supported Environments
Vendor | Supported |
---|---|
HTML5-based web players | Yes |
Adobe Flash | Not supported |
iOS native SDK | Yes |
Android native SDK | Yes |
Required Firewall & Proxy Server Settings
Requirements |
---|
Allow HTTPS to *.strivetech.io:443 |
Allow HTTPS to *.strivecast.com:443 |
Allow WSS (WebSocket Secure) to *.strivecast.com:443 |
Allow STUN (UDP) to stun.l.google.com:19302 |
Allow STUN (UDP) to stun.strivetech.io:3478 |
Allow UDP traffic |
Do not block ports above 30,000 |