The objectives of this chapter are to explore solutions to many of the performance problems and issues commonly experienced when implementing and using extranets. Much of our discussion focuses on the performance problems associated with the readiness of the Internet to move audio and visual files over the net because the movement of audio and visual files pushes the performance boundaries of the Internet and therefore of extranets as well. There is really nothing special about audio/visual files other than the fact that their typically large size makes predictable and acceptable performance over the extranet a challenge.

Moreover, the movement of audio/visual files across the Internet and extranets is an urgent need in the television, movie, and broadcast industries. Today these industries spend large amounts of money on human carriers to move video and audiotape from content creators and editors to content broadcasters. Even more importantly, these industries often lose large amounts of money when they cannot meet broadcast deadlines at least partly because of the time that it takes human carriers to move content from location to location.

Ease of connectivity to the Internet, use of standards, and multivendor support are some of the strengths of the extranet for audio/visual transfer. However, predictability of performance and quality remains a weakness. Audio/visual technologies are major tools for collaboration over the extranet.

Perhaps more importantly from an extranet perspective, better audio/visual technology is needed to promote extranet commerce. This is because many business people as well as consumers are...