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Case Study | 1

CCTV.com Streams 2008 “F5 is a great partner that always provides Content to 25 Million Online Users with F5 Solutions excellent support Industry and first-rate products Internet media to its customers, Challenges • Maintain infrastructure reliability during high traffic period of the Beijing 2008 Games including major Internet • Ensure fast and secure user access to web content • Protect against DDoS attacks content providers like • Optimize server utilization

CCTV.com.” Solutions • F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager Guo Tao • F5 BIG-IP Global Traffic Manager General Manager of Value-added Network Department of System Product BU, Beijing Benefits Teamsun Technology • Maintained high performance and availability for streaming website during a huge spike in traffic from the Beijing Games

• Protected against potential attacks • Reduced the number of servers required

x Overview an excellent user experience CCTV.com is the Internet arm of throughout the Games, even during Central Television (CCTV), extreme periods of peak traffic. the largest broadcaster in . Operated by the Chinese Challenges government, CCTV currently has The Beijing Games marks one of 16 national channels, most of which the biggest events in China’s recent provide 24-hour broadcasts, serving history, and it was expected to 95.9 percent of China’s population attract an unprecedented number of 1.3 billion. Some of CCTV's of viewers both domestically and programs are also available in more internationally. As the major Internet than130 countries and regions provider of the event’s content, around the world, and according to CCTV.com needed to upgrade its the World Brand Lab in July 2008, infrastructure to support the huge the CCTV brand ranked 65 of the number of users expected during world's 500 Most Influential Brands. the Games.

CCTV established CCTV.com in It also needed to provide speedy 1996. The website has become website access to users one of the largest portals in China. throughout China, while at the Backed by CCTV’s resources, same time managing the sudden CCTV.com produces 500 hours spikes expected during major of new programs every day and events, such as the opening provides live online streaming of ceremony. 12 CCTV programs. Additionally, due to the sensitivity In December 2007, CCTV.com of the event and the website’s signed a partnership with the connections with the government, International Olympic Committee CCTV.com faced a high risk of to stream 3800 hours of the 2008 online attacks, requiring its network Games’ content over the Internet, to have comprehensive security including the opening and closing capabilities. ceremonies and all sporting competitions. By implementing Solutions ® ® F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic CCTV.com considered several ® Manager™ (LTM) and BIG-IP vendors and ultimately selected Global Traffic Manager™ solutions, F5 solutions for product CCTV.com was able to prepare its functionality and reliability. Beijing network to handle the tremendous Teamsun Technology Co., Ltd. increase in online viewers that was (www.teamsun.com.cn) worked expected. CCTV.com delivered closely as a partner with F5 to

Case Study | 2

secure the project. CCTV.com full proxy architecture of BIG-IP Internet users by mid-2008, implemented F5 BIG-IP LTM as LTM significantly reduces the risk overtaking the United States well as BIG-IP GTM, which had of DDoS attacks on CCTV.com’s as the world's largest online been previously deployed to servers. population. Despite this, the country’s support the Olympic website. Internet penetration rate is only Benefits 19.1 percent, lower than the The BIG-IP GTM devices were By preparing its infrastructure for world's average of 21.1 percent. deployed respectively within the the massive increase in online This indicates that there are huge networks of China Netcom and users with F5 solutions, CCTV.com growth opportunities for Internet China Telecom which are the was able to deliver its coverage companies in the country. country’s two main fixed-line of the Beijing 2008 Games to a carriers. Collectively these vast viewership and maintain As a result, CCTV.com is poised companies represent the bulk of the website’s high performance for greater growth in its role as China’s entire Internet installed and availability. a major content provider. By base. BIG-IP GTM ensures global providing the best online user high availability and the best High performance for experience available, the company possible user experience by 25 million users is positioned to reap even greater routing users based on network According to CSM Media Research, success in the market as more and user conditions. the number of unique visitors to and more users make CCTV.com CCTV.com reached 25.13 million their preferred Internet content BIG-IP LTM 8400 devices and during the live telecast of the provider. BIG-IP LTM 6800 devices were Games’ opening ceremony. This set up in 10 major Chinese cities number is eight times more than Guo Tao, General Manager at to ensure the ability to connect the website’s average daily traffic Beijing Teamsun Technology, CCTV.com’s users to the nearest and set the record in CCTV.com’s explains that China’s major players available servers. BIG-IP LTM 12-year history. Despite the heavy in the growing Internet market in provides a range of functionalities, traffic to the site, CCTV.com visitors China will continue to work with such as caching, compression, were able to watch the Games F5 as networks evolve to meet connection management, and online without any performance future demands. Guo says, “F5 is TCP and content offloading that degradation or service interruptions. a great partner that always provides optimize server performance and excellent support and first-rate dramatically speed page load times Tapping into future growth products to its customers, including for CCTV.com’s users. These According to China Internet major Internet content providers features also optimize server Network Information Center like CCTV.com.” utilization and reduce the number (CNNIC), China had 253 million of web servers needed. The unique,

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