Proactive Network Management of IPTV Networks

Abstract: Consumer communications and entertainment services, including broadcast TV and VoIP, require service providers to meet stringent availability and latency constraints. When a packet technology, such as IP, is used to transport these services, this also poses stringent packet loss requirement on the network. This aspect of IPTV, where impairments have consumer-visible impact and potential public relations consequences, creates new challenges in protocol design, as well as network management. The key to operating an effective network is to expand to a more comprehensive network management approach to be able to better anticipate and manage potential network problems. This paper describes network management techniques deployed in a production IPTV network with over 2 million customers. 1