Streaming Session (RTSP/RTP/RTCP)

Greetings! This is my first post here. I have not attempted to contact F5 support before posting this. Should I have done so?

 

 

I'm an F5 newbie, having recently attended the BigIP V9 classes and I'm developing some test scenarios with a 1500 box. I recently upgraded to 9.2.3 and have the early access options enabled - I think. (Please look at my license details below. If you notice that anything is obviously missing, please let me know. The license details do not explicitly state "early access", but that's what we requested.) I'm trying to use the 1500 to load balance a pool of our 3GPP-compliant streaming servers. I have had good luck with load-balancing configurations of our other, TCP-based servers, but the introduction of server-initiated UDP traffic has posed a problem for me. It may just be a matter of expectations vs. implementation.

 

 

What would be *most* helpful is a pointer to detailed information on *how* the F5 supports streaming sessions. I've searched and seen numerous references in the forum to "complete RTSP support", etc., and I'm not sure what that means. The documentation I have been using (Configuration Guide for Local Traffic Management 9.2) doesn't seem to provide the answers I'm looking for. My rtsp_profile only contains the following:

 

 

profile rtsp rtsp {

 

idle timeout 300

 

}

 

 

I can get everything to work nicely if I create a NAT for each streaming server that "opens a hole" for outbound UDP traffic (RTP media packets, RTCP receiver report packets). My expectations were that a profile (stream? rtsp?) would relate these packets to the original RTSP connection automatically. Am I wrong? Is there some additional configuration I overlooked? Do I need to write an iRule for this?

 

 

Each streaming server has a port range from which it can allocate ports to stream the media back to the client. I have configured each streaming server with a distinct port range such that the streamer UDP ports numbers don't overlap.

 

 

Here's a brief summary of my configuration:

 

streamer2_vs (192.168.3.10:554) => streamer_pool (10.1.1.11, 10.1.1.21)

 

NATs: 10.1.1.11 => 192.168.3.11, 10.1.1.21 => 192.168.3.21

 

 

Thanks!

 

Mark

 

 

License Details:

 

License Type Evaluation

 

Licensed Date Sep 22, 2006

 

License Expiration Date Oct 23, 2006

 

Active Modules Add SSL 100 TPS (JEIBILU-UMOQZBI)

 

BIG-IP LTM (SJAQBFJ-NOSIGKA)

 

Client Authentication (TJKMSIU-DFHQURY)

 

Compression 100 Mbps (DXPFASY-IUAXTXC)

 

RamCache (XNWTGEY-BBWQPPU)

 

Rate Shaping (VXSYPLF-VKLPOUA)

 

 

Optional Modules Add Compression (X 1 MBPS)

 

Add SSL TPS (X 1 TPS)

 

BGP Routing Module

 

BIG-IP GTM Module

 

BIG-IP LC Module

 

IPv6 Gateway Module

 

OSPF Routing Module

 

RIP Routing Module

 

Routing Modules Bundle