Methodology to Asses Internet Protocol Connection Availability: A Prerequisite For Feasible Video Stream Through Content Delivery Networks

Abstract

Recent events have shown that content delivery networks as well as Broadband Providers are failing to provide a continuous service, especially on live video stream transmissions for numerous customers. This study aims to present a Methodology to uninterruptedly measure uplink-downlink of a given IP connection. Based on an open-source assemblage of development and data storage platforms it was programmed a software that automatically attends the proposed assessment. The significance of availability is effusively addressed on this article, since it is the first requirement regarding quality of service in any engineered communication. The proposed method relates to the fact that for a video and/or audio web stream to successfully occur, a connection with each end-user device needs to be sustained the entire time, establishing a complex two-way communication. Meanwhile, traditional cable and satellite broadcasts are less stressful one-way connections, demanding only that the end-user device to be placed within range of a radio signal. Given this scenario and adding the substantial demand increase for high quality media content from the internet, emerges an essential need to control the service delivered by CDNs and Broadband Providers. The developed software also creates a reasonable billing mechanism, which can function as a new technical milestone on contracts and/or Service Level Agreements. This tool also imposes a key function to the user's role, once it requires a setup of all seeked tests to be manually inserted, which might limit it for some routines.