Solution Architecture

Browser-based Software

Hive Streaming extends the capabilities of partner video platforms via self-contained components commonly referred to as "Video Player Plugins" or simply the "HIVE Player Plugin".

HIVE Player Plugins are delivered as JavaScript libraries that are then included inside the partner's application.

The HIVE Player Plugin is loaded by the web browser when a viewer loads the video event webpage.

No installation is required by the partner or end-customer.

The Hive Player Plugin acts as bridge between the partner video application and the Hive Streaming video distribution solution. Functions of the HIVE Player Plugin Include:

Communicating with an installed HIVE Agent
Collecting player statistics and user behavior observed through the web browser

For HIVE WebRTC (browser-based) video distribution, a HIVE Agent is not required. In this case, the HIVE Player Plugin performs additional functions, including:

Resolving the HIVE Ticket with the HIVE Cloud Services (authenticating the viewer)
Downloading video fragments from the partner's video CDN (as a leader)
Sharing downloaded video fragments with other HIVE WebRTC-enabled endpoints watching the video
Posting snapshots of playback metrics to the HIVE Cloud Services

HIVE Cloud Services

HIVE Cloud Services are a collection of web services supporting various application functions, including statistics collection, discovery of other HIVE endpoints and peer connection setup.

HIVE Cloud services are hosted in Microsoft Azure and do not host or have access to customer video content. HIVE Cloud Services respond only to secure HTTPS requests.

HIVE video platform partners must authenticate with a unique security token when connecting to HIVE Cloud Services. HIVE-supported endpoints (both HIVE WebRTC and HIVE Agent-based) must present a valid HIVE Ticket or Client Certificate when connecting to a HIVE Cloud Service.

Key HIVE Cloud Services:

HIVE Ticketing Service: HIVE’s video platform partners invoke the HIVE Ticketing Service to notify HIVE of a video requiring HIVE analytics or distribution; afterwards, HIVE endpoints (both HIVE WebRTC and HIVE Agent-based) must authenticate against the Ticketing Service before streaming video
HIVE Tracker Service: maintains a registry of HIVE-supported endpoints authorized to view a video, facilitating quick connection setup between nearby peers
HIVE Snapshot Service: HIVE-supported endpoints report viewer statistics to the Snapshot Service regularly during video streaming

Other HIVE Cloud services automate customer account provisioning, facilitate Silent Testing and support Agent AutoUpdate functionality.

HIVE Portal

HIVE Portal is the main control panel for Hive Streaming, including:

Browse HIVE usage reporting for live and video-on-demand content from connected video platforms.
Links to HIVE Insights to better understand video experience.
Manage a HIVE Agent deployment, including:
- Hosting of downloadable HIVE Agent installer packages
- HIVE Agent configuration information
Auxiliary functionality, including:
- User management
- Audit logs and
- Links to HIVE Support and the HIVE Knowledge Base (HKB)

HIVE Insights

HIVE Insights, described above, is Hive Streaming's flagship reporting application. HIVE Insights, along with the HIVE Cloud Services and other HIVE web applications is hosted in Microsoft Azure.

HIVE VI (Video Intelligence)

HIVE VI, described above, is Hive Streaming's powerful business intelligence engine. HIVE VI data Is hosted In Microsoft Azure. Dashboards for consuming HIVE VI data are implemented In Microsoft Power BI and may be accessed via the Power BI web or desktop applications.

Documentation & Support portals

The HIVE Knowledge Base (HKB) and Partner Portal are hosted separately on the Atlassian Confluence Cloud platform. HIVE uses Jira Software Cloud for customer issue management. To access these separate applications, distinct logins are provisioned with Atlassian with oversight by HIVE.

Installable, Endpoint-based Software

The HIVE Agent is HIVE’s most mature and robust distribution technology. In addition to high performance video distribution for enterprise networks, the HIVE Agent also supports advanced features such as Silent Testing and site-specific configurations.

The HIVE Agent acts as a proxy between the video platform partner’s web-based player and the video content hosted on a Content Delivery Network (CDN). No user interaction is required. In fact, users are not typically aware the HIVE Agent is present on their devices.

The HIVE Agent consists of several components:

HIVE Agent Watchdog: starts the main HIVE Agent Application as a background service and monitors its health
HIVE Agent Application: the main Agent process, containing all core functionality
HIVE Desktop Helper (HDH): supports proxy detection and tunneling, enabling the HIVE Agent to detect and securely traverse web proxies and SSL termination solutions (Windows only)

The HIVE Agent is provided as a downloadable installation package. An MSI file is provided for Windows, a PKG file for macOS. The Agent can be deployed and managed using standard software distribution methods, including Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM).

Major releases of the HIVE Agent occur 2-3 times per year. Hotfixes are released if significant bugs or security issues are discovered. This is rare. Customers are not required to accept all releases, but are encouraged to accept one major release per year.

HIVE Agents can be upgraded in two ways:

Redeploying the new installer package
Using the HIVE Agent’s built in AutoUpdate feature (the HIVE Agent Application is downloaded from the HIVE Cloud Services and distributed efficiently through peer-to-peer)