Please let us know if you have any questions, comments, or concerns about the new node.

An update to Media Manager has been deployed that allows encoder connections to the ingest from any IP address, by default, while still maintaining publishing security with a user name and password. If you would like, you may still use the enhanced IP security by entering a specific IP address or CIDR range.

If you would like to just use IP limiting without the username and password security you can remove the username and password by double-clicking on the stream entry in Media Manager.

We encourage everyone to use these features to make sure that only authorized publishers utilize your live streams. If the IP settings are left at the default entry of 0.0.0.0 / 0  during a new stream setup, any IP will be allowed to connected with the supplied user name and password.

Please note that this update only applies to new streams created after this update.  If you want to change the settings for any streams that were previously provisioned, you will need to modify them by double-clicking the stream entry in Media Manager.

Please feel free to create a support ticket if you have any questions or problems with the new security measures.

When setting up new live events you are now required to provide a source address, a username/password, or both.  You have to establish a username and password (of your choosing) when creating the stream, however, you can opt out of this once the stream has been created by double-clicking on the stream’s camera icon and then simply deleting the username and password field data.  The source address field must be set, at least up to the first octet (first zero) and then the CIDR value [block to  the right of the source address] has to match the set IP.  You can find your public IP address by browsing to http://whatismyip.com/.  Note that this site will give you the public facing IP address to whatever computer you are on, so be sure to open the page from your encoding computer.  Again, you can edit your live event by double-clicking on the camera icon to your stream from the Live Events section of the Media Manager.  If your first octet (first number in your IP address before the period) is under 128,
you may simply fill in that first number, leave the last three octets as .0.0.0, and then set your CIDR [box to the right of the source address] to 8.  With the following source address and username and password optionally set to blank, you will be able to stream to the CDN ingest server:

Example:
Source Address: 77.0.0.0  8
Username:
Password:

This is the minimum security currently required to stream events.  Please remember that the address above is only an example.  The first octet of your encoder computer’s IP address will likely vary.  If you decide to lock down your source address to your full IP, then it is likely that you will need to run a whois lookup or contact the internet provider to discover the CIDR on the IP address.  Usually when you provide the full source address IP, the CIDR 32 will work.

To learn more about CIDR blocks, you can visit http://hubpages.com/hub/ip-tutorial-subnetting.

If you have any questions then feel free to contact us.

Thanks for your understanding and support as we move to streamline our services. We look forward to continuing to provide the best CDN service in the industry for startups and small business.

1. Ease the burden on your webserver. A CDN (content delivery network) takes the burden off of the webserver by hosting and serving all of the media (and other frequently used static files, as well) in place of the webserver.  Once your media has been placed on the CDN your webserver can focus it’s CPU cycles and bandwidth on serving the text content and handling any scripts.

2. Reduce bandwidth costs. Most webhosting plans come with a set amount of bandwidth included. There can be costly fees associated with going over that allotted amount. A CDN will help remove most of that bandwidth usage by serving the larger media files. And CDN bandwidth costs are typically lower than webhost bandwidth costs, so you can realize a savings.

3. Improve page load times. The most obvious benefit to using a CDN will be the one that your website visitors will also see. Placing your content on the CDN will place your files in several network locations around the globe, serving the files to your customers via the closest access point. This will result in dramatic improvements in page load times and lead to an overall better customer experience on your site.

We believe that every website can benefit from a CDN. From a large media site to a personal blog. SparkCDN’s pricing fits everyone, because we only charge you for what you use, with no commitments.

1. Simplicity. The name of the game is simplicity. We don’t think that using our CDN product should be complicated. Moving files to the CDN is as simple as using an FTP client or typing in the URL of your files.
2. Affordability. No complicated pricing structures or secretive pricing. We list our prices right on our website.
3. No Contracts. You can cancel your account with us at any time, no questions asked. It’s as simple as clicking the Cancel button on our website.
4. Support. Our support team is always just a click away. Visit support.sparkcdn.com to browse our support forums or submit a ticket. We also live on the social networks, so get in touch with us there if it’s more convenient for you.
5. Instant Activation. No need to wait for some sales agent to setup your account. Just fill out the quick form on our website and we’ll create your account instantly. You can being uploading files to the CDN and delivering them to your customers within a couple minutes of creating your account.

Our approach is different from our larger competitors. We don’t believe in long contracts or complicated pricing. We have set prices that change as your usage changes. And if SparkCDN ever fails to meet your needs, simply click the Cancel button in your account and we’ll part ways.

Our support team is ready to answer any questions that you have, so please don’t hesitate to ask.

We look forward to working with you in 2010 to grow your business.

The Team at SparkCache SparkCDN