New Caching Software

Entera's TeraEDGE caching software promises to improve viewing and reduce bandwidth costs.

by Wayne Kawamoto [May 24, 2000]

Entera announced its TeraEDGE, the company's standards-based caching software. According to Entera, TeraEDGE lets service and content providers dynamically replicate streaming content at a location that's closer to the end user, which improves the end-user's viewing experience and reduces bandwidth costs.

The TeraEDGE software is designed to be standards-based, highly scalable, and embeddable and it includes open APIs for both agents and the software's object store. Entera claims that the software's scalability allows it to support narrowband to broadband applications, and it's ability to be embedded will let it be deployed in future caching solutions like residential gateways or global positioning systems.

The APIs are open to both the caching agents and the object store, enabling the creation of custom software modules for specific needs to extend the functionality of the agents. In addition, the Linux developer community can write new agents to interact with the caching engine for multiple caching needs. Entera is launching a full developer support program to compliment TeraEDGE.

TeraEDGE incorporates five patent-pending technologies:

1. The Multi protocol proxy switching scheme allows recognition of simultaneous and different protocol receipts, and the efficient distribution of them.
2. The Transfer Agent ensures that an origin quality stream is securely cached in TeraEDGE, and offers accounting back to the origin. According to Entera, this provides for lostless packet transfer and results in the best streaming experience.
3. Dynamic Reflecting lets TeraEDGE recognize the closest connection for live streams, whether it is an origin server or another TeraEDGE, which reduces bandwidth.
4. Seaming combines multiple streams at the proxy for better quality of streamed content.
5. Smoothing reduces network spikes to provide a consistent rate of stream delivery.

"Entera's TeraEDGE software allows ISP and Content Providers the ability to deploy the highest quality, standards-based caching solution on the market today," said Richard DeSoto, Vice President of Marketing at Entera. "We have utilized five revolutionary, patent pending technologies in TeraEDGE that ensure the highest quality delivery of content in the market today."

"The proliferation of high speed broadband cable and DSL combined with the current advances in streaming applications, such as Web radio and video webcasts, has created an exciting growth opportunity for ISPs and content providers delivering streaming media directly to end-users," says Steve West, President and CEO of Entera. "Entera's TeraEDGE solves the current problems of video and audio quality as well as reduced bandwidth limitations."

TeraEDGE software caches protocols including QuickTime RTSP/RTP, RealNetworks RTSP/RDT, and HTTP.

System Requirements
TeraEDGE requires 256MB of RAM, a 500MHz Pentium III processor, and 100MB of disk space for installation, plus at least 8GB of space for the cache.

Pricing and Availability
For a limited time starting on July 1, 2000, a Linux beta version of the TeraEDGE software will be available for a free download from www.entera.com.

The company promises that software for Sun Solaris x86, Sun Solaris Sparc, Windows 2000/NT, and FreeBSD will release soon.

Final pricing has not yet been determined.

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