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eCDN Usage

Introduction​

This plugin can be used to optimize the performance of video distribution within a company, known as an eCDN (enterprise Content Delivery Network).

Network requirements​

  • The devices MUST allow WebSocket connections to our tracker domain and signal domain, HTTPS/TCP on port 443. This port is used to connect to the server that validates and provides the authorization for the peers to create connections with other peers.

  • In order to support direct P2P connections between devices, the devices MUST allow WebRTC P2P traffic towards other peers by opening UDP ports 49152 to 65535.

Managing mDNS​

By default, WebRTC uses a protocol called mDNS (multicast DNS) to hide the private IP. The protocol allows devices on the same local network to resolve hostnames (e.g., my-device.local) to IP addresses without needing a central DNS server. In WebRTC, mDNS is used to enhance privacy by hiding a user’s real local IP address from websites. Instead of exposing private IPs directly during WebRTC sessions, mDNS generates obfuscated ICE candidates (e.g., 12345.local) that are resolved to private IP addresses only within the local network.


Using mDNS in a corporate network can bring some challenges:

  • The network might block multicast traffic (common in enterprise networks or restrictive environments), and WebRTC peer connections may fail.

  • The protocol only works within the same local network, and if users are on different subnets, the obfuscated addresses cannot be resolved.

Because of that, you might need to disable mDNS in the browser in order for the SwarmCloud Plugin to perform well in your environment.

When is disabling mDNS NOT needed?​

Considering your network architecture, it might not be needed to disable mDNS if:

  • mDNS is not blocked in the local network

  • users are behind the same router

In these scenarios, the SwarmCloud Plugin should work just fine without any additional configuration. If at least one of the conditions is not respected, the SwarmCloud Plugin might fail to create connections and offload the network.

How to disable mDNS?​

Disabling mDNS in the browsers depends on the browser and the OS used. Please contact customer support for assistance.