Enterprise Technical Architecture

The Enterprise Technical Architecture (ETA) details the enterprise's technology strategies, its extended technology linkages, and their impact on project initatives.

Defines a logically consistent set of principles that guide the engineering of an organization's information systems and technology infrastructure.

Describes the future state model of the infrastructure and technology platforms required to support the Enterprise Application Architecture (EAA) and enable rapid engineering, solution development, and technical innovation.

ETA Model Draft 0.5

I have updated the Enterprise Technical Architecture Model.



Most of the changes were related to clearing up the confusion as to what this model is not.

This model is not a complete list of vendor branded components that we will use to build every solution IMT delivers. It is a high level model that abstracts a desired agility in our systems and covers the delivery infrastructure for our applications. It emphasizes principles, open protocols, and web based delivery to enable transformational self-service. Each of these areas will eventually need detailed sub-architectures to better define solution patterns, combinations of components used in various scenarios. Different requirements need different solution patterns, and no single list of building blocks can ever be pre-established for every potential problem domain.

ETA Sub-Architectures

The Enterprise Technical Architecture (ETA) will consist of several sub-architectures to be completed over time.

Media Architecture

Architecture related to multimedia.

Media Streaming Architecture

A review of the current and proposed enhancements to the Media Streaming Architecture, currently used to broadcast and archive audio and video events at APU.

Chapel Podcasting Schema DRAFT

Media DB Field	RSS (iTunes DTD)  [format]	ID3 v.1 Tag  [format]
event_title + event_timestamp	<title> [APU {911} Chapel YYYY-MM-DD]	$title [{APU|911}chapelYYYYMMDD]
event_timestamp	<pubDate> [Wed, 16 Feb 2005 09:30:00 -0800]	$year [YYYY]
event_desc	<itunes:author> [First Last]	$artist [First Last]
event_end_timestamp – event_start_timestamp	<itunes:duration> [HH:MM] Can't use this, as its encode duration for the master table (real's encode). Probably need to deprecate these DB fields.
event_desc	<itunes:subtitle> [First Last]
event_desc	<itunes:summary> [First Last]
event_url	<enclosure url=$event_url length=$bytes type="audio/mpeg">
event_url	<guid>
event_type_desc		$album [APU {911} Chapel YYYY {Fall|Spring}]
		genre: “101” (speech)
		comment: Copyright YYYY Azusa Pacific University http://live.apu.edu
event_id
Filename	apu_{911_}chapel_YYYY-MM-DD_$event_id.mp3
Sources:	http://phobos.apple.com/static/iTunesRSS.html#_Toc526931664	http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ID3

Current Media Streaming Architecture

Architecture Diagram



Components

Streaming Server

Helix DNA Server

• Using open source server with closed source extensions
  

Database structure

Highlights

• Event types allow for categorizing content
• Active Flag - administrative disable of content
• Public Flag - AuthN necessary (CAS basic authN no groups authZ)

Current Web Interfaces

• Apache/PHP code for the front end. Rewritten Summer '05
  
• www.apu.edu has links to content as well
• UR queries our database, but proper querying validation is not being done
  
• Logic recreated for display in den
  

Current Media Streaming Component Diagram

Changed title

Media Streaming Database Architecture

Patrick McCarty - Created 3/16/2004

Tables in the media_stream database:

Name	Description
archived_events	Holds stored event information
archived_links	URLs for events based on codec
archived_events_hits	Stores hit counts
event_codecs	Enumerates codecs of events
event_types	Enumerates types of events
live_events	Holds live event information
upcoming_events	Holds upcoming event information

 

Description of “archived_events”

Attribute	Type	Description
id	INT (Auto)	Primary row key
event_type_code	INT	Stores numeric event type. Foreign key to event_types
event_codec	INT	Stores numeric codec type. Foreign key to event_codecs *** DEPRECATED: Stored in archived_links now
event_title	VARCHAR	Short title of event
event_desc	VARCHAR	Longer description of event
event_url	VARCHAR	URL to event *** DEPRECATED see archived_links
event_start_timestamp	TIMESTAMP	Timestamp of event encoding start
event_end_timestamp	TIMESTAMP	Timestamp of event encoding end
event_timestamp	TIMESTAMP	Timestamp of actual event
event_active	BOOL	Event active flag (false to disable event)
event_public	BOOL	Public event flag (false requires auth)
event_desc_ext	VARCHAR	Extended description of event (UNUSED)
event_picture_url	VARCHAR	URL to picture associated with event (UNUSED)
event_picture_link	VARCHAR	URL linked by picture (UNUSED)




Description of “archived_links”

Attribute	Type	Description
id	INT(Auto)	Primary row index
event_id	INT	Foreign key to archived_events.id
event_codec	INT	Foreign key to event_codecs.event_codec
event_url	VARCHAR	URL for event

 

Description of “archived_events_hits”

Attribute	Type	Description
id	INT	ID Foreign key to archived_events
hits	INT	Numeric count of hits for an event

 

Description of “event_codecs”

Attribute	Type	Description
event_codec	INT	Numeric codes for event codecs (Primary key)
event_codec_desc	VARCHAR	Name of codec

 

Description of “event_types”

Attribute	Type	Description
event_type_code	INT	Numeric codes for event types (Primary key)
event_type_desc	VARCHAR	Name of event type
event_type_homepage	VARCHAR	Homepage URL for this event type

 

Description of “live_events”

Attribute	Type	Description
id	INT (Auto)	Primary row key
event_type_code	INT	Stores numeric event type. Foreign key to event_types
event_codec	INT	Stores numeric codec type. Foreign key to event_codecs
event_title	VARCHAR	Short title of event
event_desc	VARCHAR	Longer description of event
event_url	VARCHAR	URL to event
event_start_timestamp	TIMESTAMP	Timestamp of event encoding start
event_end_timestamp	TIMESTAMP	Timestamp of event encoding end
event_timestamp	TIMESTAMP	Timestamp of actual event
event_active	BOOL	Event active flag (false to disable event)
event_public	BOOL	Public event flag (false requires auth)

 

Description of “upcoming_events”

Attribute	Type	Description
id	INT (Auto)	Primary row key
event_type_code	INT	Stores numeric event type. Foreign key to event_types
event_codec	INT	Stores numeric codec type. Foreign key to event_codecs
event_title	VARCHAR	Short title of event
event_desc	VARCHAR	Longer description of event
event_start_timestamp	TIMESTAMP	Timestamp of expected event encoding start
event_end_timestamp	TIMESTAMP	Timestamp of expected event encoding end
event_active	BOOL	Event active flag (false to disable event)
event_public	BOOL	Public event flag (false requires auth)

Issues with Current Streaming Architecture

Whats wrong with the current system?

1. More formats needed - Currently only Real (RTSP or HTTP)
• Quicktime in largest demand
• Looking for an open standard, most aren't cross platform.
• MPEG 4 closest to open standard
• Difficulty with bandwidth and quality with MPEG-4 encoding
• Problem with Real format is that the downloaded file includes all bitrate (currently doing 56Kbps 225Kbps) Will auto-scale down.
2. Need Ability to Download not just stream
• Some would like to download and Use for ministry (911 chapel for instance)
• Can do this now through adminstrator but no front end
3. No User Documentation
4. Self Service Content Creation
• Could have a web form to upload file add metadata
• Instructions -standards -departmental level
• Graphics Center has video editing, heavily used
• Architecture should allow for obvious direction of allowing departmental/faculty media creation without handing off encoding to IMT
5. Scalability, Reliability of Hardware
• NAS used for data store
• Scalability, reliability issues
• Windows NAS with SMB mounted filesystem, Gig eth, but won't scale

Keys to Existing/Future Architecture

• Continue to be Database Driven
• Take from a live source without pre-post-processing
• Data entry form to store event metadata

Bandwidth Concerns

• 20% of hits from RezNet, 10-15% on campus, meaning 65-75% off campus
• We are using more of our pipe for longer periods of the day
• Suggest bandwidth shaping etc.