ZEN Master is a cloud-based orchestration platform for end-to-end live linear video streaming. The platform serves as an abstraction layer on top of the existing Zixi and Zixi-enabled components across the entire distribution network, providing a central interface for orchestrating cloud and locally installed resources, while ensuring high availability, security and optimal performance.
In this tutorial you will learn how to configure a basic end-to-end live distribution deployment. This basic setup includes configuration of a channel in Pass-Through mode with no additional processing (e.g. transcoding). For further information about additional configuration options, please refer to the ZEN Master User Guide.
Use Case Topology
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The diagram above illustrates the basic live distribution deployment that will be used as an example throughout this tutorial. In this live distribution use case, ZEN Master is used to orchestrate the following components:
Origin – in the Origin site, at the point of acquisition, there is a Zixi Feeder. Zixi Feeder accepts and prepares the encoded video for transmission over standard internet connections using Zixi's UDP based transport stream protocol. The Zixi Feeders are accessed by Zixi ZEN through an API. As part of the configuration process, you will be required to configure the Zixi Feeder as a resource in ZEN Master and select one of the preconfigured remote access keys to enable SSH tunneling between the Zixi Feeder and the ZEN service. After adding a Zixi Feeder to ZEN, you will need to configure the connection of the Zixi Feeder (using its Zixi Feeder UI) to ZEN. This will enable the actual connection using the configured SSH key.Broadcaster Cluster - Zixi Broadcaster is the central component in the Zixi Video Network. Zixi Broadcaster receives video streams from Zixi Feeder, and can process the stream, enabling transcoding, transmuxing, recording, and distribution in multiple bit rates and protocols to any device anywhere. Broadcaster clusters are groups of Zixi Broadcasters that perform a certain task or tasks. A task can be to handle inputs (Ingest clusters), or to perform processing tasks (Processing clusters), such as creating adaptive channels, transcoding, or simply pass the stream to the Target. In this use case we will configure Zixi Broadcaster Clusters to perform both Ingest and Channel Processing in Pass-Through mode. Destination - in the Destination site there is a Zixi Receiver. Zixi Receiver pulls inputs from Zixi Broadcaster via standard IP networks and outputs professional-quality video to a broad range of Integrated Receiver- Decoders (IRDs). The Zixi Receivers are accessed by ZEN Master through an API. As part of the configuration process, you will be required to configure the Zixi Receiver as a resource in ZEN Master and select one of the preconfigured remote access keys to enable SSH tunneling between the Zixi Receiver and the ZEN service. After adding a Zixi Receiver to ZEN Master, you will need to configure the connection of the Zixi Receiver (using its Zixi Receiver UI) to ZEN. This will enable the actual connection using the configured SSH key.
