Enhanced Content Delivery Network for SoftLayer
Dallas, Texas – [Hosting Headlines] – SoftLayer, an on-demand hosting services and virtual data center provider for the small to medium enterprise (SME), has enhanced its content delivery network, CDNLayer, initially launched in the middle of May, 2008.
CDNLayer is SoftLayer’s industry leading content delivery network (CDN). It uses a system of servers running advanced software for organizing, storing, and streaming website content to end-users. Rather than serving content directly from the host server to the end-user, CDNLayer moves content from the host server to a node that is geographically closer to the end-user. This minimizes the distance the data has to travel, avoiding network traffic jams, and decreasing latency. CDNLayer includes tools for improved management and control, helping with digital rights management and content monetization. In addition, it features the ease-of-use and a high level of control for which SoftLayer is known.
George Karidis, Chief Strategy Officer at SoftLayer remarked, ”SoftLayer customers are very sophisticated users of technology and we feel that it is critical to prioritize and respond to their requests. This is simply the first set of enhancements to CDNLayer that we have planned and expect to see an even more aggressive take-up of the service in the coming months.”
The new features that have been added to CDNLayer include:
- Bandwidth Monitoring by CDN PoP
- Origin Pull of Content
- FTP Across the SoftLayer Private Network
These services are available from all SoftLayer datacenters, so customers can still choose the location that best suits their needs.
Over the last month, well over one hundred customers have signed up for CDNLayer. These early adopters have made suggestions for additional functionality, with these three features being the most requested.
More Information on the New Features includes:
Bandwidth Monitoring by CDN PoP – SoftLayer has deployed Point of Presence (PoP) bandwidth reporting. Customers can now determine the specific PoP being used to download content.
Origin Pull of Content – SoftLayer added the origin pull feature to CDNLayer. Each CDNLayer account can have an origin pull location which, when configured, will pull content from a web server at cache-controlled intervals before sending data to the final users’ CDNLayer requests. With origin pull, users do not have to upload content through the SoftLayer portal or API. They simply manage the content on the origin web server. Users must still use the portal or the API to upload streaming content, such as Windows Media and Flash video.
FTP Across the SoftLayer Private Network – SoftLayer has enabled customers to use FTP to populate their CDNLayer accounts. With FTP access, customers can use scripts to automate the file transfer. FTP is a very efficient and simple means of managing file transfers regardless of the file size. By delivering this across the private network, customers can now send files from their server without any charge against the monthly bandwidth allotment.
Recently, SoftLayer began receiving its delivery of servers under a new packaging program, designed to reduce packing materials by 80-percent. The program was created through several months of close collaboration between SoftLayer and its server manufacturer, Supermicro.
SoftLayer’s reduced packaging program provides multiple environmental benefits. It eliminates more than 8 pounds of packing material per server, as well as the shipment of user manuals and unnecessary components, thereby greatly reducing the volume of materials produced or recycled. Moreover, these measures reduce the total shipping ”footprint,” enabling the same sized shipping containers to carry more units and reducing the amount of fuel consumed and carbon emissions produced when shipping.
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that recycling one ton of cardboard and paper products leads to saving:
- 17 trees
- 3.3 cubic yards of landfill space
- 360 gallons of water
- 100 gallons of gasoline
- 60 pounds of air pollutants
- 10,401 kilowatts of electricity
The savings from eliminating the initial production of the cardboard is even more dramatic. Based on these figures, SoftLayer’s new program will save over 750 trees per year.
Headquartered in Plano, Texas, SoftLayer provides next-generation web hosting and on-demand datacenter services on a global basis from facilities located in Dallas, TX and Seattle, WA. Utilizing proprietary management tools coupled with the industry’s first network-within-a-network topology, the company delivers unprecedented power and control to securely manage IT environments while providing unparalleled scalability.
To learn more about SoftLayer, please visit: www.softlayer.com.
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