Kontiki
Encyclopedia
Kontiki is a peer-assisted content delivery technology company, founded in November 2000. It was acquired by VeriSign
in March 2006. VeriSign, as part of a major divestiture, sold Kontiki to MK Capital
in May 2008.
Kontiki is characterized as peer-assisted because it uses a combination of central servers and peer-to-peer
communications. The Kontiki Delivery Manager used to provide the basis for some of the UK's video on demand
services such as Sky Anytime
, BBC iPlayer
and 4od
- but no longer, since they've moved to using Flash or Silverlight as a delivery platform.
Kontiki works using peer-assisted technology. Rather than the user downloading the entire television program from a central server, the Kontiki client combines pieces of the file downloaded from central servers with pieces of the file downloaded from other peers downloading the same content. Using this method the number of bits delivered from the central servers can be reduced, which can reduce cost. Additionally by leveraging other peers the system scales much more efficiently, and the more popular a piece of content is the more efficiently the system works. This is generally true for all peer-to-peer based systems.
Kontiki has four parts: Network Publisher, Network Protector, Network Manager and Analyser.
Most Kontiki client implementations allow for the back-end service (KService.exe) to continue to run when the provider's front end application (khost.exe) is closed. KService.exe continues to participate in the Kontiki network, downloading content the user has requested and possibly uploading parts of the content already downloaded to others in the Kontiki network. Each implementation can be configured individually, for example the BBC iPlayer provides an option to stop sharing when the client closes.
This can be particularly troublesome for users with broadband connections that include a capped monthly upload limit.
To fix these issues it is recommended to upgrade to the latest version of the client offered by the service in question (BBC, Sky, Channel 4, etc...). However, some users have reported that this does not always fix the problem.
Example: If you have the Channel 4 4oD service and the BBC iPlayer installed then going to the Control Panel and uninstalling the iPlayer will not remove KService.exe. Once 4oD is uninstalled then KService.exe will also be removed.
KClean.exe is a program that eliminates all Kontiki components. However, use of this program will eliminate everything Kontiki from the system and break the functioning of applications that require it.
to deal with iPlayer traffic. It is estimated that an hour of iPlayer downloads at peak time would cost them 67 pence at BT wholesale prices.
See Also The P4P Initiative
.
than HTTP downloads, but in comparison to the size of the files typically delivered over P2P networks this overhead is insignificant. For example, when downloading a 500 MB TV show the HTTP overhead is approximately 350 bytes for request and response headers. Assuming that the overhead for P2P communication is 10 times larger, at 3500 bytes this would still only be a 0.00066% overhead.
ISP networks historically have been optimized for sending bits from centralized servers to clients via the 'superhighways' of the Internet. Most P2P networks assign peers randomly and are not network topology aware like Kontiki is. This means that many of the bits being downloaded may come from far away. So it is the nature of the traffic caused by P2P, not necessarily the volume that is the key issue.
Also if traffic is streamed only from an organisations' servers, that company is paying for all the data to be streamed to Internet. With P2P the originator only has to pay for a tiny fraction of the traffic. If the users have usage based charges or cap, the users are picking up the "tab". If the users have no cap and a flat rate charge, then unlike YouTube and other real time streaming, the ISP is paying for the providers data. Many end-user (last mile) connections are asymmetric and the P2P distribution method dramatically increases load on the less capable upstream connection of the user. An asymmetric ratio of 8:1 (or worse) on end user connections is common. In contrast true centralised server traffic could be 1:20 and all paid for by the originator.
VeriSign
Verisign, Inc. is an American company based in Dulles, Virginia that operates a diverse array of network infrastructure, including two of the Internet's thirteen root nameservers, the authoritative registry for the .com, .net, and .name generic top-level domains and the .cc and .tv country-code...
in March 2006. VeriSign, as part of a major divestiture, sold Kontiki to MK Capital
MK Capital
MK Capital is a $150 million venture capital fund headquartered in Chicago.On May 5, 2008, MK Capital announced it had completed the acquisition of Kontiki from VeriSign....
in May 2008.
Kontiki is characterized as peer-assisted because it uses a combination of central servers and peer-to-peer
Peer-to-peer
Peer-to-peer computing or networking is a distributed application architecture that partitions tasks or workloads among peers. Peers are equally privileged, equipotent participants in the application...
communications. The Kontiki Delivery Manager used to provide the basis for some of the UK's video on demand
Video on demand
Video on Demand or Audio and Video On Demand are systems which allow users to select and watch/listen to video or audio content on demand...
services such as Sky Anytime
Sky Anytime
Sky Anytime is the brand-name of a range of services from BSkyB designed to compete with video on demand services currently offered by rival companies such as Virgin Media or Tiscali TV as well as Internet Television services such as ITV Player and Sky Go....
, BBC iPlayer
BBC iPlayer
BBC iPlayer, commonly shortened to iPlayer, is an internet television and radio service, developed by the BBC to extend its former RealPlayer-based and other streamed video clip content to include whole TV shows....
and 4od
4oD
4oD is a video on demand service from Channel 4. Launched in November 2006, 4oD stands for "4 on Demand". The service offers a variety of programmes recently shown on Channel 4, E4, More4 or from their archives...
- but no longer, since they've moved to using Flash or Silverlight as a delivery platform.
Key facts about Kontiki
- All communications are encrypted and signed using a closed public keyPublic-key cryptographyPublic-key cryptography refers to a cryptographic system requiring two separate keys, one to lock or encrypt the plaintext, and one to unlock or decrypt the cyphertext. Neither key will do both functions. One of these keys is published or public and the other is kept private...
infrastructure. This ensures that each peer is an authorized member of the P2P network, and that nobody can inject malware into the network via a man in the middle attackMan in the middleMan in the middle may refer to:* Man-in-the-middle attack, a form of cryptographic attack* Man in the Middle , a 1963 movie* Man In The Middle , a memoir of basketballer John Amaechi-In music:...
. - Kontiki does not allow for individual users to publish their own content and is therefore not a file sharing network, but a managed file distribution network.
- During the publishing process all content is virus and malware checked before distribution.
- Kontiki's patented technology is network topology aware. Centralized Kontiki directory servers use a combination of statically configured network information and dynamically gathered network topology information to hand out peer connections in a way that minimizes the load on the network. This has the effect of using the most local network resources first, LAN, WAN (in the enterprise), Autonomous System NumberAutonomous system (Internet)Within the Internet, an Autonomous System is a collection of connected Internet Protocol routing prefixes under the control of one or more network operators that presents a common, clearly defined routing policy to the Internet....
(ASN), ISP, and others. - Kontiki can offer a guaranteed QoSQuality of serviceThe quality of service refers to several related aspects of telephony and computer networks that allow the transport of traffic with special requirements...
because it can blend traffic downloaded from peers with centrally served bandwidth. If a peer is experiencing slow peer downloads it will connect with Kontiki origin servers to ensure fast downloads.
Kontiki has four parts: Network Publisher, Network Protector, Network Manager and Analyser.
How Kontiki is deployed and configured
Kontiki operates a B2B business and allows its customers to configure the Kontiki software to suit their needs. Decisions regarding how much end-user control to expose are up to those configuring and deploying the Kontiki solution. This includes many configuration parameters, including whether or not the back end service (Kservice.exe) continues to operate when the front end (Khost.exe) is closed.Most Kontiki client implementations allow for the back-end service (KService.exe) to continue to run when the provider's front end application (khost.exe) is closed. KService.exe continues to participate in the Kontiki network, downloading content the user has requested and possibly uploading parts of the content already downloaded to others in the Kontiki network. Each implementation can be configured individually, for example the BBC iPlayer provides an option to stop sharing when the client closes.
This can be particularly troublesome for users with broadband connections that include a capped monthly upload limit.
Known Issues
Early versions of the Kontiki software had a few known issues that affect a small portion of the overall userbase.- Taking up 100% of processor time when running.
- KService.exe crashing at system shutdown time.
To fix these issues it is recommended to upgrade to the latest version of the client offered by the service in question (BBC, Sky, Channel 4, etc...). However, some users have reported that this does not always fix the problem.
Uninstallation
Kontiki should be removed using the standard uninstallation system for your platform (Windows, Mac, Linux). When the last application using Kontiki is removed the core back-end service (KService.exe) will also be removed.Example: If you have the Channel 4 4oD service and the BBC iPlayer installed then going to the Control Panel and uninstalling the iPlayer will not remove KService.exe. Once 4oD is uninstalled then KService.exe will also be removed.
KClean.exe is a program that eliminates all Kontiki components. However, use of this program will eliminate everything Kontiki from the system and break the functioning of applications that require it.
Discussion of Network Neutrality
It is possible that the extra bandwidth used by Kontiki (and other such services) could make UK ISPs increase their prices or use technical measures such as blocking or traffic shapingTraffic shaping
Traffic shaping is the control of computer network traffic in order to optimize or guarantee performance, improve latency, and/or increase usable bandwidth for some kinds of packets by delaying other kinds of packets that meet certain criteria...
to deal with iPlayer traffic. It is estimated that an hour of iPlayer downloads at peak time would cost them 67 pence at BT wholesale prices.
See Also The P4P Initiative
Proactive network Provider Participation for P2P
P4P, or Proactive network Provider Participation for P2P, is a method for internet service providers and peer-to-peer software to optimize peer-to-peer connections...
.
Discussion of P2P and network load
P2P does incur more overheadOverhead
Overhead may be:* Overhead , the ongoing operating costs of running a business* Engineering overhead, ancillary design features required by a component of a device...
than HTTP downloads, but in comparison to the size of the files typically delivered over P2P networks this overhead is insignificant. For example, when downloading a 500 MB TV show the HTTP overhead is approximately 350 bytes for request and response headers. Assuming that the overhead for P2P communication is 10 times larger, at 3500 bytes this would still only be a 0.00066% overhead.
Impacts to ISPs
Whether P2P is involved or not the number of bytes required to deliver a file remains roughly the same. Sending a 1 GB file to 1024 people means sending 1 TB of data, with or without P2P. The primary difference is in how the bits get there. This is not the case with realtime delivery. In order to guarantee realtime delivery via P2P, multiple peers have to send the same data. This parity data can be as much as 50% extra.ISP networks historically have been optimized for sending bits from centralized servers to clients via the 'superhighways' of the Internet. Most P2P networks assign peers randomly and are not network topology aware like Kontiki is. This means that many of the bits being downloaded may come from far away. So it is the nature of the traffic caused by P2P, not necessarily the volume that is the key issue.
Also if traffic is streamed only from an organisations' servers, that company is paying for all the data to be streamed to Internet. With P2P the originator only has to pay for a tiny fraction of the traffic. If the users have usage based charges or cap, the users are picking up the "tab". If the users have no cap and a flat rate charge, then unlike YouTube and other real time streaming, the ISP is paying for the providers data. Many end-user (last mile) connections are asymmetric and the P2P distribution method dramatically increases load on the less capable upstream connection of the user. An asymmetric ratio of 8:1 (or worse) on end user connections is common. In contrast true centralised server traffic could be 1:20 and all paid for by the originator.
See also
- BitTorrent
- The P4P InitiativeProactive network Provider Participation for P2PP4P, or Proactive network Provider Participation for P2P, is a method for internet service providers and peer-to-peer software to optimize peer-to-peer connections...
.
External links
- Kontiki Homepage
- PC Doctors Removal Tool Removal tool for a clean uninstallation (NB link to removal tool now broken see below for new tool)
- Direct Download of the official removal tool from Sky (found by RJ)
- Direct Download of the official removal tool from Kontiki
- IPDev Blog: Review of the iPlayer