Difference between live, liverepeater-origin and liverepeater-edge

Wowza Streaming Engine
1

Hi!

So as it is described in numerous guides/threads, if we want to have a kind of CDN to be built using Wowza, we configure servers as origin and edges, and use packetizers for original input, and repeaters on edges.

We had a test setup, where two Wowza servers were both just “live” and both had packetizers, and no repeaters. In this setup Wowzas were able to pick up streams from each other over RTMP and successfully rebroadcast it to users.

So question is - what is the difference/negative outcome of using just “live” and packetizers on all servers, while still repeating streams? Does it have any impact on broadcast, or maybe CPU/RAM usage? As if it works in this simplified setup (and it does, just we don’t know consequences) - we would rather avoid complications and stick to easy “one same app per server” setup?

Thanks!

2

Hi,

You can use the StreamType “live” which will packetize on the edge server which will not effect the server’s efficiency.

There are 2 types of origin/edge setup one is repeater packetizers and the other is using .stream files to pull the source to the edge server and then packetize on the edge.

Jason

3

There is no reason to do that. StreamType “liverepeater-origin” is optimized for this purpose.

Richard

4

Wowza will try to drop frames for low bandwith clients, this Property can be used to disable that behavior. I only see it set to true for origin stream types, which makes sense as you should have plenty of bandwidth between the origin and the edge, where the edge is the playback client to the origin.

Richard

5

Yes, as you can see this is where StreamTypes are defined and can be altered. You can define a new StreamType if you want. Experiment. It is difficult answer every hypothetical question, and there is a limit to how much we can or will go deeper than the published documentation. The Property names try to be self-explanatory.

Richard

6

The source code of Wowza is not available, if that is what you are asking.

I would look at the documentation, examples and tutorials first. Then search around for discussions as necessary. Charlie’s answers are always authoritative, though features and fixes may have made some comments obsolete.

Richard

7

The difference in these StreamTypes can be seen in the Property settings in /conf/Streams.xml.

Richard

8

Is a StreamType just a set of parameters defined in Streams.xml ?

So if I update it and set “live” and “liverepeater-origin”, for example, to the same values exactly.

Both of these type will be handled exactly the same for all built-in modules of Wowza Media Server.

9

I am trying to understand the behaviour of the Wowza Media Server.

The most forum discussions are just small piece of information.

The question was about behaviour and was not about a reason to do it.

Many forum discussions just easy say to update media type “liverepeater-origin” to “live” or vice versa.

But they never take care that these types are very different in very important internal parameters like “disableLowBandwidthThrottling”.

It’s hard to use a software in a good way wthout understanding some internals.

10

Let me ask and discuss a buffering behaviour in another topic

https://www.wowza.com/forums/showthread.php?12311-maxliveaudiolatency-setting

But can you answer on the original question ?

Is the behaviour of a StreamType is just set of parameters in Streams.xml ?

11

Yes, I understand of course.

You cannot explain everything and you cannot spend so many time on every discussion.

I am trying to search maximum information from the forum posts.

But many answers are not informative enough.

So I ask a question in case I never found an answer which is good enough for understanding.

The reason of the original question is very simple.

I can easy write a module which can check the specific StreamType and provide some additional capability for it.

This is not part of configuration parameters.

So you never can know it without looking to the source code.

Is this possible with built-in modules and with the core of the Wowza Media Server ?

12

The source code of Wowza is not available, if that is what you are asking.

No, I never asked about the source code.

I would look at the documentation, examples and tutorials first. Then search around for discussions as necessary. Charlie’s answers are always authoritative, though features and fixes may have made some comments obsolete.

Richard

I follow your recommendation already. This exactly I have explained in the my previous post.