Background
A Content Delivery Network is a platform with servers that help in the minimization of delays when streaming video and displaying web pages (Böttger et al., 2018). It works by reducing the physical distance between the servers and the end-users.
Internet service providers serve as an access point or gateway that provides the user access of everything available in the internet.
Backbone provider is a company that provides access lines to Internet Service Providers. The lines allows the ISPs to connect to each other thus offering customers internet access at high speeds.
From the diagram, Akamai is a Content Delivery Network, Level 3 and Comcast are Internet Service Providers. Cogent Communications can suit a backbone provider.
Problem Description
Netflix was using a third-party company to access the services of Comcast. The third-party company was Cogent Communications. There were numerous people who were streaming videos from Comcast. That created a lot of traffic thus leading to full capacity utilization in the interconnection between Comcast and Cogent Communications. Thus, the interconnection running at full capacity resulted to the congestion.
Solution Options
Various solutions would be used to solve the congestion problem with Comcast. One potential solution would be Comcast and Cogent Communications paying to upgrade the interconnect. That would enable the interconnect to have a bigger capacity thus reducing the congestion being experienced.
The second potential solution would be making a deal with Comcast to hook Netflix’s Open Connect Servers in their data center. That would promote high speeds when the end-users stream the videos from Netflix. That would also reduce the congestion significantly.
The third potential solution would be contracting more Content Delivery networks and Internet Service Providers. That would increase the speed of streaming the videos and also minimize the delays experienced thus solving the congestion.
The Comcast Solution
A deal with Comcast would be the est solution to reduce the congestion that was being experienced. By Comcast connecting directly to Netflix’s open connect network, the quality of the videos being streamed would increase. Comcast wold also hook up with Netflix’s third party data center to improve the quality and the speed of the videos being streamed. High quality of video would attract more subscribers to Netflix thus increasing the sources of money to pay for Comcast services (Wang & Ma, 2020). Additionally, through making a deal with Comcast, the third-party Cogent Communications would be eliminated thus increasing the effectiveness and the efficiency.
The Comcast Deal
Comcast should hook Netflix’s open connect network in their data center. That will ensure direct access of online videos from their data center to the end-users. It would reduce the congestion and also increasing the quality of the online videos.
Appendix
Netflix uses the services of several Internet Services Providers to enable their content to the end-users. Some of the Internet Service Providers that Netflix uses their services are Akamai, Comcast, and Level 3. However, Netflix did not directly use the services of the Internet Service Providers such as in the case of Comcast. Cogent Communications was the third party company that Netflix used to access the services of Comcast.
For the hardware device to display the app, it has to be connected to a network source or router. When a person clicks on the play button in their hardware device such as a computer, mobile device, or Television, it authenticates with Netflix servers and then the app requests for the manifest of the video. The file comes from three different HTTPS links which are derived from different Content Delivery Network nodes. The CDN used is selected by the app depending on the throughput, latency and BGP distance.
The Netflix performance had been dipping for Comcast customers. That resulted from the reduction in the speed of Comcast’s network. That also resulted form the millions of videos that were being streamed form Netflix daily. Netflix used the services of Cogent communications to connect their network to Comcast and other ISPs. Thus, the Cogent and Comcast interconnections were running at capacity thus creating the congestion.
One option would be Comcast and Cogent Communications paying to upgrade the interconnect
Making a deal with Comcast to hook Netflix’s Open Connect Servers in their data center
Contracting more Content Delivery networks and Internet Service Providers.
The best approach is making a deal with Comcast to hoot Netflix’s Open Connect Servers in their data center. That will ensure maximum speed and efficiency when end-users are streaming videos.
References
Böttger, T., Cuadrado, F., Tyson, G., Castro, I., & Uhlig, S. (2018). Open connect everywhere: A glimpse at the internet ecosystem through the lens of the netflix cdn. ACM SIGCOMM Computer Communication Review, 48(1), 28-34.
Wang, X., & Ma, R. T. (2020). On the Tussle Between Over-the-Top and Internet Service Providers: Analysis of the Netflix-Comcast Type of Deals. IEEE/ACM Transactions on Networking.
