Carrier cloud platform reduces cost of handling OTT video

The versatile architecture allows operators to create dense single-function appliances or to deploy multiple independent virtual network functions on a single platform, or multiple ‘clouds-in-a-box’. The combination of a dense, versatile hardware platform and Artesyn’s Silver Lining enabling software can help operators reduce the cost of handling OTT video in their networks and increase the profitability and efficiency of real-time communications, including WebRTC and VoLTE.

A single 3U MaxCore platform, fully configured with Artesyn SharpStreamer add-in acceleration cards, is capable of supporting up to 616 streams of 1080p HD video, which equals over 200 streams per rack unit. Comparable server platforms claim between 90 and 110 HD video streams per rack unit, while the industry average using standard rack mount servers is 5.54 streams per rack unit. For speech transcoding, measured by G.711 to G.729 sessions, a typical standard server can support up to 4,600 per rack unit versus 31,000 per rack unit in a MaxCore platform, or 93,000 for the complete 3U system. While standard rack mount servers are suitable for smaller scale density requirements, Artesyn’s platform is optimised for hosted cloud and high density deployments. Combined with a significant reduction in floor space and power consumption, the density and flexibility of the platform makes it the most cost-effective, scale-out infrastructure for video transcoding with 14 times the performance density when compared to 1U servers, up to 75% lower equipment cost, and over 90% lower power and cooling cost.

Housed in a 3U rack-mountable enclosure and designed for deployment in carrier-grade infrastructure, the MaxCore platform can help reduce the capital and operating expense of deploying cloud infrastructure, while allowing it to scale as needed. The server platform can accommodate up to 15 add-in cards, flexibly configured for either processing cards or networking IO cards, and connected without cables for high performance and simple configuration.

“The modern microserver or small-bladed high-performance computing system has been dominated to date by the kind of dedicated appliances that our customers have told us they want to move away from,” said Linsey Miller, Director of server acceleration marketing, Artesyn Embedded Technologies. “The MaxCore platform brings the first open, standards-based option of its kind to developers of NFV/SDN solutions for carrier cloud deployments. Combined with Silver Lining software, Artesyn’s solutions now scale from the edge to the core of operator networks across multiple compute and media processing offerings with support for OpenFlow for SDN and OpenStack for NFV, enabling service providers to run ePC, firewall/security, DPI, session border and OTT video virtual applications on common scalable hardware.”