Adding a Broadcaster Cluster - Managed

Owned by eli.pielet (Unlicensed)
Last updated: 02 Jun 2024 by Alon Men
8 min read

When creating a ZEN Master managed Broadcaster cluster, you specify the AWS, Azure or GCP instance type that will be used for this cluster. Make sure to select an instance type that supports the type of processing that will be done on this cluster.  ZEN Master supports both standard CPU instances as well as Nvidia GPU instances on AWS, Azure and GCP (including Tesla V100 and T4, which support both HEVC decoding and encoding).

In addition, ZEN Master supports 5G Contribution and Distribution using the AWS Wavelength Zone. Before launching a wavelength zone instance, opt into the wavelength zone service, by enabling the feature via your AWS console. Due to instant type and public IP differences, wavelength zone and non-wavelength zone subnets are not interchangeable, and clusters can only choose one. For more information, see - https://docs.aws.amazon.com/wavelength/latest/developerguide/what-is-wavelength.html

To add a managed Broadcaster Cluster:

  1. In the main navigation, click Broadcasters.
  2. Click + Add.
    The Create New Broadcaster Cluster screen is displayed.
  3. In the Info section, in the Name field, type a logical name for the Zixi Cluster resource.
  4. In the Tags field, select one or more of the predefined Tags from the drop-down menu.
    Tags are used for access control. By selecting a Tag you are relating this Cluster to an Tag. Tags are associated with certain roles (through the Users & Roles screen), and roles, in turn, are associated with users and user groups. If you would like to create a new Tag, see Creating a Tag.
  5. In the DNS Prefix field, enter a unique domain name for sending sources to this cluster.

  6. Select the IP Whitelist checkbox if you would like to control access to this cluster by limiting access to Push inputs and Pull outputs to specific IP address (for an AWS cluster this will enable you to control the AWS security groups)1.

    If you select IP Whitelist, then you must use ZEN authorization mode for this cluster.

    If you selected IP Whitelist then after configuring the Broadcaster Cluster you must input the IPs that will have access to this cluster, see Adding IPs to the Whitelist.

  7. Select the DTLS checkbox if you would like to activate DTLS encryption and authentication. (This feature is only supported for Broadcasters running v12.2+.)
  8. If you selected the DTLS checkbox then the Ignore DTLS certificate when not supported checkbox appears. Select this checkbox if you would like to enable resources using older versions of Zixi software (<v12.2) that don't support verification of the ZEN DTLS certificate to connect to this cluster.

  9. Select the Log SCTE-35 checkbox if you would like to log SCTE-35 markers for streams on this cluster.

    To log SCTE-35 markers, SCTE-35 needs to be enabled both on the Ingest Cluster and in the Source configuration.

    SCTE-35 logging is only available for v13.1.40262+ Broadcasters.

  10. Select the RTMP Server checkbox if you would like to receive RTMP push inputs.
  11. In the Configuration section, in the Management Type field, for a managed cluster, select one of the AWS, Azure or GCP accounts configured in ZEN Master from the list shown under AWS, Azure or GCP in the drop-down menu. To create a new cloud service account see Linking an AWS Account, Linking an Azure Account or Linking a Google GCP Account.
    The Configuration fields for the selected type of managed clusters are displayed.
  12. Fill in your cloud service account details as follows:
    • For an AWS cluster –
      1. In the Region field, specify the AWS region.
      2. In the Key Pair field, select from the drop-down list one of the available Key Pairs to access the cluster. If no Key Pair is displayed, then go to your Amazon account to setup your Key Pair.
      3. In the VPC field, select from the drop-down list one of the available VPC (Virtual Private Cloud) networks to which the cluster will be connected.
      4. In the Subnets field, select from the drop-down list one or more of the subnets that are available in this VPC. AWS Wavelength subnets are indicated with "WAVES-BOS".  For more information about Wavelength, see - https://docs.aws.amazon.com/wavelength/latest/developerguide/what-is-wavelength.html
      5. In the Security Groups field, select from the drop-down list one or more of the security groups associated with this VPC. If no Security Group is displayed then go to your Amazon Account to configure your security groups (for guidance in setting up your Security Groups see Amazon Security Groups) or use the ZEN IP Whitelist to manage your AWS security (see the following step).
      6. If you selected IP Whitelist option (on the previous screen) then the Manage security groups via Zen IP Whitelist option is displayed. Select this checkbox to use the IP Whitelist to manage your AWS security.
      7. In the Architecture field, select 64-bit (Arm), or 64-bit (x86).
      8. In the Instance Type field, select from the drop-down list one of the available AWS instance types that will be used in this cluster.
      9. In the Root Device Size field, enter the capacity of the hard drive (in GiB).
    • For an Azure cluster –
      1. In the Region field, select from the drop-down list the location of the account to be used for this cluster.

      2. In the Virtual Network field, select from the drop-down list a VN in your Azure account.

        You need to have a Virtual Network in your Azure account in order to be able to create a Broadcaster Cluster in ZEN Master. If you don't have a VN in your account, you can create one via the Azure portal.

      3. In the Subnet field, select from the drop-down list a subnet that is available in the specified VN.
      4. In the Network Security Group field, select from the drop-down list a network security group for this cluster.
    • For a GCP account –
      1. In the Region field, select from the drop-down list the region of the GCP account.
      2. In the Zones field, select from the drop-down list one or more zones in the specified region.
      3. In the Network field, select from the drop-down list one or more of the subnets that are available in the specified region.

      4. In the Machine Type field, select from the drop-down list the type of machine to be used for the cluster.

        Both n1 and n2 machine types are supported.

      5. In the GPU Type field, select from the drop-down list the type of GPU to be used for the cluster.
      6. In the Root Device Size field, specify the size of the root device in GiB.
  13. In the Activation Key field, input the activation key for your Zixi Broadcaster license.
  14. In the API User field, enter the username for accessing the Zixi Broadcaster via API.
  15. In the API Password field, enter the password for accessing the Zixi Broadcaster via API.

  16. In the Broadcaster Version field, select from the drop-down list the desired Broadcaster version that you would like to run on your cloud service machines.

    The Broadcaster versions available for your account can be viewed and modified on the Customer Portal.

    Make sure to select a Broadcaster version that supports the type of processing that will be done on this cluster.

  17. In the Authorization Mode field, select one of the following options:
    • ZEN Master – ZEN Master automatically verifies the authorization for each ZEN entity (e.g. sources, channels and targets) that accesses the Broadcaster cluster. If you would like to allow access to inputs/outputs that are not configured in ZEN Master, then in the Allow access… section, select the Push Inputs and/or Pull Outputs
    • Global Password – Broadcasters are automatically configured to authorize all connections using a single global password. The global password will be used in the Source Password field when you configure a Source. In the Password field, enter the password OR click Random to generate a random password.
    • Free for All – Broadcasters will be automatically configured to allow all inputs/outputs to connect. Select Inputs and/or Outputs to automatically allow them to connect.

    • Manual – ZEN will not authorize connections. You will need to authorize each connection independently.

      All authorization modes other than Manual will override the authorization configured on your Broadcasters. Therefore, if you have streams on your Broadcasters that are not configured on ZEN Master, then any mode other than Manual or Free for All may interrupt those streams.

  18. If you would like to adjust the advanced settings, click Advanced.
    The Advanced settings are displayed:
  19. You can adjust the following settings:
    • Balance Pull Targets– select one of the following load balancing methods for Pull outputs:
      • Minimize the number of broadcasters (default)– transfers excess load to other broadcasters only when the allotted capacity on the host broadcaster is filled.
      • Uniform distribution – distributes the load equally between all available broadcasters under all circumstances.
    • HTTP Streaming Port – You can change the HTTP streaming port from the default (7777) to a custom port. The custom port should match the configuration on the Zixi Broadcaster.
    • Elastic IP Allocation IDs – Enter comma separated Elastic IP Allocation IDs. Elastic IPs are a set of fixed IPs provided by AWS, so that when ZEN Master launches an instance it will assign this instance with one one of these "known" elastic IP addresses. This known IP address can be configured in the Firewall security solution. 
    • Require Elastic IP - select this checkbox to prevent ZEN Master from launching an instance if there are no more available Elastic IPs. 
    • Bandwidth Limits– set the bandwidth limits. Choose one of the two fields: Input - Output.
    • Default HLS Segment Configuration - 
    • HLS/CMAF(DASH+fMP4 HLS) segment configuration – configure the Count and Duration parameters for HLS and DASH segments on this Broadcaster Cluster.
    • The Transcode Thresholds are used by ZEN Master to determine whether an additional transcoded Channel can be added to the broadcaster. The following thresholds can be adjusted:
      • CPU Threshold – percentage of CPU being used.
      • Memory Threshold – percentage of memory being used.
      • GPU Threshold – percentage of GPU being used.
      • GPU Memory Threshold – percentage of GPU memory being used.
      • GPU Decoder Threshold – percentage of GPU decoder pipeline being used.
      • GPU Encoder Threshold – percentage of GPU encoder pipeline being used.
    • Enable Real-time Broadcaster process priority - this setting is deselected by default. You can increase the Broadcaster's process priority by selecting it. This may be beneficial for sending streams to highly sensitive IRDs. However, this should not be done without consulting with your customer success agent. ZEN Master will expect a response form the external server, consisting of a JSON object. The following details need to be configured:
      • Server endpoint - an external authorization URL for the server endpoint. 
      • Optional authorization header schema and credentials to access the service.
    • External Authorization - ZEN Master can, in addition to its standard internal authorization process, redirect the authorization of connections to an external service. For example, an external pay-per-view application, which confirms that a requesting end-device belongs to an account that has paid for a live event. 
      • Server endpoint - an external authorization URL for the server endpoint.
      • Optional Authorization header schema and credentials.
    • If you would like to track usage for this Broadcaster, enter your Billing Code details, see Billing Codes. (Supported for Broadcasters v14.8+)
    • If you would like to install AgentZ automatically, select the Install AgentZ automatically checkbox. Agent Z is a Sidecar tool that sits on a Zixi Broadcaster, it acquires the system health data and other statistics locally and pushes it to ZEN Master. By enabling this option, ZEN Master will automatically install AgentZ on any existing and future Broadcasters connected to the Cluster. The feature is off by default. Due to AgentZ installation requiring a restart, ZEN Master will not auto-install AgentZ on a Broadcaster that already contains any inputs to avoid disturbing active streams.

  20. Click Save.
    The new Broadcaster cluster is created in the system and added to the list of Broadcaster clusters. The status should change from Pending to OK after a few minutes.

    The Broadcaster cluster will only be functional once you add one or more Broadcaster instances to the cluster, see Adding Broadcasters to a Managed Cluster.


1 If you activate IP Whitelisting then you must use ZEN authorization mode for this cluster.

2 The GPU thresholds are only relevant for transcoding workflows using Intel Quick Sync or NVIDIA GPUs.