Application
Technical staff designing and dimensioning an IP-MPLS Core and Access Network for a service provider of IP services in technology convergence of data, voice and video apply the skills and knowledge in this unit. Relevant job roles include designer and installer of Next Generation Networks (NGN). These IP networks provide fast internet, voice over internet protocol (VoIP), IPTV and internet TV services. |
Elements and Performance Criteria
ELEMENT | PERFORMANCE CRITERIA |
1. Produce and evaluate design requirements for an IPTV network | 1.1. Analyse the major video models and the impact the video challenges will have on the design of an IPTV network 1.2. Evaluate IPTV against other competing TV broadcast technologies to determine optimum design approach 1.3. Produce the topology of an IPTV network showing network architecture from the IPTV standards bodies and determine the design requirements 1.4. Plan the dimensioning of network parameters for multicast and unicast video delivery over broadband in a service provider network |
2. Design an IPTV network for video on demand (VoD) delivery | 2.1. Design the content delivery system (CDS) to cache IPTV content in each major metropolitan area for broadcast or streaming VoD models to eliminate performance variability introduced by Internet transport or core peering relationships 2.2. Design a video network to provide VoD loads with network solutions using VoD design requirements 2.3. Design VoD application to meet bandwidth requirements and quality of service (QoS) requirements for commercial viability of IPTV network |
3. Design and configure an MPLS IPTV network to meet business requirements | 3.1. Determine the IP-MPLS network design requirements 3.2. Investigate factors that affect design considerations and ways they can be minimised 3.3. Produce the design topology of a MPLS network to provide secure methods of transporting IP packets using layer 2 protocols 3.4. Design an MPLS layer over the IP networking structure to combine the efficiency of multicast protocols with traffic engineering (TE) facilities to enable fast packet forwarding for real time video streaming applications |
4. Manage the delivery of IPTV services | 4.1. Determine the operational processes required to support IPTV by operators 4.2. Produce a plan of the management and customer support model including strategies dealing with the delivery of VoD issues 4.3. Produce a plan of a video network using video delivery strategies to deliver optimum average revenue per user (ARPU) to serve the demographic of an area and the nature of an operator's business 4.4. Manage and monitor video across the network using a management tool |
Required Skills
Required skills |
analytical skills to analyse and evaluate: broad features of a particular business domain and best practice in networking technologies when hardware and software network components to be installed are identified competing video models over broadband networks literacy skills to produce plans problem solving skills to solve a predictable range of network problems project planning skills to set benchmarks and identify scope technical skills to: deploy multipoint-to-multipoint VPLS domains via IP-MPLS cloud design VoD facility for video delivery dimension network parameters implement and verify: border gateway protocol (BGP) enhanced interior gateway routing protocol (EIGRP) Flash hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) internet group management protocol (IGMP) open shortest path first (OSPF) real time streaming protocol (RTSP) routing information protocol (RIP) web cache communication protocol (WCCP) operations implement MPLS architecture across a wide area network (WAN) environment implement secure video streaming over MPLS network |
Required knowledge |
competing video delivery over broadband networks current industry-accepted hardware and software products networking technologies incorporating detailed knowledge of network operating systems, IP networks and MPLS networks transmission technologies and protocols |
Evidence Required
The evidence guide provides advice on assessment and must be read in conjunction with the performance criteria, required skills and knowledge, range statement and the Assessment Guidelines for the Training Package. | |
Overview of assessment | |
Critical aspects for assessment and evidence required to demonstrate competency in this unit | Evidence of the ability to: produce and evaluate design requirements for an IPTV network design an IPTV network for VoD delivery design and configure an MPLS IPTV network to meet business requirements manage the delivery of IPTV services. |
Context of and specific resources for assessment | Assessment must ensure: protocols, configuration documents, management tools and standards network and demographic trends, and customer demand data. |
Method of assessment | A range of assessment methods should be used to assess practical skills and knowledge. The following examples are appropriate for this unit: review of design requirements and network designs completed by the candidate oral and written questioning of the candidate on required knowledge direct observation of the candidate designing and configuring and MPLS IPTV network and managing IPTV services. |
Guidance information for assessment | Holistic assessment with other units relevant to the industry sector, workplace and job role is recommended, for example: ICTTEN6172A Design and configure an IP-MPLS network with virtual private network tunnelling. Aboriginal people and other people from a non-English speaking background may have second language issues. Access must be provided to appropriate learning and assessment support when required. Assessment processes and techniques must be culturally appropriate, and appropriate to the oral communication skill level, and language and literacy capacity of the candidate and the work being performed. In all cases where practical assessment is used it will be combined with targeted questioning to assess required knowledge. Questioning techniques should not require language, literacy and numeracy skills beyond those required in this unit of competency. Where applicable, physical resources should include equipment modified for people with special needs. |
Range Statement
The range statement relates to the unit of competency as a whole. It allows for different work environments and situations that may affect performance. Bold italicised wording, if used in the performance criteria, is detailed below. Essential operating conditions that may be present with training and assessment (depending on the work situation, needs of the candidate, accessibility of the item, and local industry and regional contexts) may also be included. | |
Major video models may refer to: | broadcast video or multicast models replicating the behaviour of a Cable TV (CATV)system offering a customer multi-channel viewing 'store for play' model or download model allowing the customer to load the video onto a local disk for viewing VoD or unicast models allowing the customer to stream video in real-time as selected by the customer. |
Video challenges may include: | streaming video requiring real-time consistent network performance user perception of video to be a continuous long term experience with complaints if any significant portion goes badly video being bandwidth hungry as an application. |
Competing TV broadcast technologies may include: | CATV internet TV or content delivery network satellite TV. |
Topology of an IPTV network may include: | digital subscriber line access multiplexer (DSLAM) head end servers home gateway media centres media content servers MPLS routers MPLS switches set-top box (STB). |
Network architecture may include: | Access Networks: carrier Ethernet fibre to the x (FTTx) passive optical network (PON) wireless fidelity (WiFi) worldwide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX) x digital subscriber line (DSL) core distribution network (MPLS) internet TV or content delivery network (CDN): CDN applications: hyper syndicated video session shifting user generated content internet delivery protocols: Flash (RTMP, RTMPE, RTMPT and RTMPTE) HTTP RTSP internet video formats: video compression protocols (Flash, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, H.264and VC-1) video encapsulation (MP4, WMV, AVI, SWF, FLV) terminal device: home gateway media centre STB. |
IPTV standards bodies may include: | third generation partnership project (3GPP) - IP multimedia subsystem (IMS) 3PPP DVB European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) Home Gateway Initiative (HGI) International Telecommunications Union (ITU-T) Open IPTV Forum (OIPF) Telecommunications and Internet converged Services and Protocols for Advanced Networking (TISPAN). |
Network parameters may include: | broadcast system: acquisition video quality (MPEG 2 - 6 to 20 Mbps) distribution video quality required(H.264 2 to 8 Mbps) level of redundancy number of standards definition (SD) and high definition (HD) linear channels CDS: amount and location of vault storage required number of VoD titles (SD and HD) placement of streaming caches reduces network bandwidth storage and stream redundancy required streaming capacity based on peak concurrent streams required conditional access system: number of concurrent leases number of STBs peak transactions per second headend control system: number of STBs changing channels number of STBs rebooting at one time network requirements: access and customer links bandwidth across the core number of linear channels viewed at a given time placement of VoD streamers to save bandwidth. |
Network solutions may include: | dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) application on optical fibre network capacity separation of VoD to other applications size of pipe star rather than mesh topology. |
VoD design requirements may refer to: | delivery model: characteristics of customer access network and metro connection network management and support model: ways of ordering, supporting and billing service model: appliances to which video is delivered to nature of content video format. |
Network design requirements may include: | bandwidth number and type of core and edge routers number of channels protocols: BGP IGMP label distribution protocol (LDP) OSPF resource reservation protocol (RSVP) RTSP WCCP quality of service (QoS) security throughput. |
Factors may include: | protocol incompatibility QoS issues: jitter latency loss rate throughput router availability. |
MPLS network may include location and type of: | core label switch routers (Core LSR) edge label switch routers (Edge LSR) hosting servers for media content. |
Layer 2 protocols may include: | asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) Ethernet frame relay IGMP packet over SONET (POS) point to multipoint for IPTV (p2mp) PPP - unicast for VoD streaming protocol independent multicast (PIM) spanning-tree protocol (STP). |
Operational processes may include: | content management customer support network operations service activation service delivery. |
VoD issues may include: | congestion level problems customer care costs packet loss problems practices towards reduction of customer complaints QoS issues responsibility for customer care. |
Video delivery strategies may include: | delivery dimension: linear RF format or IPTV multicast or unicast streamed or download mobility dimension: fixed mobile both technology dimension: Ethernet or tunnel infrastructure (BRAS) using IP infrastructure (DHCP) combination of both. |
Nature of an operator's business may include: | access network broadcast or VoD strategy content and media production content delivery core network home network. |
Management tool may include: | Network and video service management for end to end video network management (ROSA) vulnerability assessment management service (VAMS). |
Sectors
Unit sector | Telecommunications |
Competency Field
Telecommunications networks engineering |
Employability Skills
This unit contains employability skills. |
Licensing Information
Refer to Unit Descriptor