I/O devices¶

IO devices in Agora describe hardware inputs and outputs bound to specific streamers. They are configured separately from streams and can then be selected in a stream as signal sources, e.g. for HDMI or SDI.

Why IO devices matter¶

IO devices link Agora’s logical configuration to real hardware on each streamer. Without that link you cannot reliably bind a stream to a physical HDMI or SDI source.

You define them in Agora so streams are assigned to the correct physical origin servers.

Why IO devices are needed¶

IO devices tell Agora:

• which streamer hosts a given card or port;
• what type of hardware source it is;
• how that source should be used.

Without prior IO setup the operator cannot pick the right hardware input in stream settings.

Binding to a streamer¶

Each IO device is bound to a streamer. Hardware inputs exist on a specific capture server.

Therefore:

• configure IO devices in their own section;
• when creating a device, specify its streamer;
• only then can the stream use it as an HDMI or SDI source.

Hardware-capture streams are always tied to both input type and the streamer where the port lives.

IO device list¶

On the list page you can:

• view all registered devices;
• see device name;
• see the bound streamer;
• see raw vs. normal mode;
• open a device card;
• create a device;
• refresh the list.

IO device card¶

The card exposes:

• device name;
• raw flag;
• hardware type hw_type;
• bound streamer;
• card_id;
• device vendor.

Hardware device type¶

The UI supports:

• HDMI;
• SDI.

for the corresponding capture scenarios.

Streamer binding¶

The form selects a streamer from known Agora nodes, binding the device to that capture node.

Without a streamer binding the device is not usable for production hardware ingest.

Card ID and vendor¶

For capture cards you can set:

• card_id — board or port identifier on the streamer;
• vendor — device manufacturer.

These tie Agora’s logical config to the actual hardware resource.

Use in streams¶

Once an IO device exists and is bound to a streamer, it can be chosen as a stream source.

Especially for:

• HDMI capture;
• SDI capture;
• cases where the source is a physical port, not a network address.

The stream UI lists available devices; you pick by:

• streamer hostname;
• device name.

Device actions¶

Standard actions apply:

• create;
• edit;
• save;
• delete.

If the form changed, the UI warns about unsaved changes before leaving the page.