HP ProLiant 3000 Video Streaming Technology - Page 23

ECG068/0798 WHITE PAPER (cont.) 2...3 Video server application software that runs under the Microsoft Windows NT Operating System is available from a number of vendors including: q Microsoft: NetShow and NetShow Theater q Oracle: Oracle Video Server q Starlight Networks: StarWorks, StarCast q RealNetWorks: RealServer Video Server Hardware One of the primary tasks of a video server is to read video data from disk storage, packetize it, and to put it on the network as quickly as possible. This would be a relatively easy task if it were not for the requirement to do this for multiple simultaneous video streams. This key requirement to deliver "real-time" concurrent video streams imposes unique demands on the video server processor, memory, disk storage, and network connections. Video server hardware is typically configured with: q High capacity, high performance disk drives for storing and delivering real-time video content q High performance network cards such as 10/100BaseT, ATM for high-bandwidth network connections q Fast system and I/O busses such as PCI and Wide-Ultra SCSI q Tuned device drivers for network cards and disk access q Multiple high performance CPUs that can be dedicated to uninterrupted video delivery q Large system memory expansion for managing multiple high speed streaming buffer pools Video Server Application Software NT Operating System Video Server Hardware Processor(s) Memory Disk Storage Disk Controller(s) Network Interface(s) Video Server Hardware Provides I/O Performance High capacity, high performance disk storage Fast system and I/O busses for high sustainable I/O throughput High performance network connections Multiple high performance CPUs Large system memory expansion for multiple buffers The following is a brief description of some of the most important hardware characteristics to look for in a video server.