Description

Resource management is done through another piece of hardware referred to as the application servers and refers to an IPTV system’s ability to keep track of customer privileges and utilize content information.

One of the advantages of an IPTV resource management system is that providers can customize channel availability down to the individual set-top box and keeps track of all the data necessary to manage all of the system’s end-points and gives them the necessary privileges.

The resource management platform is based on a High-availability (HA) cluster - a collection of servers, called application nodes that communicate with each other to make a set of services highly available to clients. HA cluster is based on Network Load Balancing clustering technology witch guaranty to clients a perfect failover and load balancing thru a distributed architecture. A combination of active/active or N to N servers redistribute the services, instances or connections from the failed server among the remaining active servers, thus eliminating the need for a 'standby' server, but introducing a need for extra capacity on all active servers. This is usually only possible when the servers use a homogeneous configuration. Resource management platform is responsible for:

Ability to register, authorize and keep tracks of all customer premises equipment (CPE)

Customer management and their access to Free-to-View Scheduled Content; Subscription based Scheduled Content; Pay-Per-View Scheduled Content; Demand; Subscription based Content on Demand; Pay-Per-View based Content on Free-to-View Content on Demand and their variations: Streamed CoD; Push CoD; Catch up TV; Time Shift TV; PVR and nPVR

Full management of Electronic Program Guide (supporting different sources and formats with real time correction)  Rating System for:TV; TV Program; TV Show; Content on Demand;

Real time monitoring for all supported services in IPTV Platform

Web Interface for easy management

With its resource management capabilities, the cluster also controls the system-level interface to third party technology. With application program interfaces (API) the system can interface with external programs that need system information to carry out tasks such as billing.