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Cluster

Cluster is a set of several servers that are connected together to perform some work that cannot be performed by a single server.

Flussonic Media Server supports different modes for combining servers into cluster.

Please note that there is no such thing as "simple cluster", you always need to understand what exactly you want to achieve by installing several servers: it may be reducing downtime in case of failure, increasing total service throughput or sharing storage between servers.

Please read this section to get a better idea of how Flussonic Media Server can help you.

Scenarios

Below are a few examples of Flussonic Media Server cluster configuration:

  • Capture streams on one or several servers and then automatically restream them to another with instant failover.
  • Instant access from restreamer to streams published on source.
  • Remote access to DVR captured on source server.
  • Capturing and transcoding streams on group of servers with instant automatic failover.
  • Automatic and managed load balancing clients between servers in group of peers.

Terminology

Here we explain some terminology that can help you not to get lost:

Cluster

A group of servers with Flussonic Media Server installed to work together in the same service.

Source

Flussonic Media Server which already captures (or can start to capture streams "on demand") and can be used as a source for restreaming server.

Restreamer

Flussonic Media Server which can receive (or already receives) streams from one or more sources.

Restreaming

Configuration consisting from source and restreaming servers that allows restreaming servers to automatically receive live streams and DVR captured on source servers.

Peer

Flussonic Media Server which is located nearby another Flussonic Media Server. Only one of them can capture some stream. It can be useful when capturing the stream on both servers is very expensive, for example, when the stream is an IP camera connected through an unreliable connection.

Cluster ingest

Configuration of several peer Flussonic Media Servers that ensures that each stream is captured only once. If one of the peers fails, the other peers will begin to capture its streams.

Please read the article about clustered restreaming.

Learn about access to DVR in cluster in separate article.

Cluster ingest and transcoding

Find out how to configure reliable capture and transcoding with cluster ingest mechanism.

Redirect to peers

Flussonic Media Server can route clients to proper peers using cluster peering mechanism.

Manage stream configuration externally

Flussonic allows you to manage stream configuration externally with the config_external mechanism and a configuration backend. Learn more in the Manage stream configuration externally: configuration backend and config_external mechanism article.