Dynamic Load Balancing solution

[charlie]

This package provides system for load balancing between multiple Wowza Servers. Each edge server is configured to use the ServerListenerLoadBalancerSender ServerListener class. We will call these servers the "edge" servers. Edge servers will periodically (about every 2.5 seconds) send load and status information over UDP to a single (or multiple) Wowza Server server running the ServerListenerLoadBalancerListener ServerListener. We will call this server the "load balancer". The load balancer will keep track of the load and availablility of each of the edge servers to which it is communicating. See the README.html file in the package for detailed instructions:

Version for Wowza Media Server 2.0.0 or greater
LoadBalancer_2.0.zip

Version for Wowza Media Server Pro 1.7.x
LoadBalancer.zip

Note: This package requires Wowza Server 1.6.0-patch19 or greater.

Enjoy,
Charlie

[angelneda]

Hi,

I’m deploying Wowza in a Load Balancing and Stream Repeater configuration with two Origin servers and two Edge servers. I followed the Load Balancing and Stream Repeater reference documents and it works fine.

As I’m going to use the JW player as client, I was looking for information on how to use Load Balancing with Wowza and I found at the Longtailvideo website a plugin for the JW player called: “Load Balancing for Wowza” (click here for more information about it)

I would like to have a little bit information about this plugin. The setup instructions are not clear to me, but it seems interesting because it manage a load balancing “servlist” that is going to be check by the plugin.

I would like to have a list with my two load balancers and if one of them is not available, to use the second one.

Do you think it possible with this plugin?

Is someone using it?

Thanks in advance,

Angel

[steveh]

You dont need to use that plugin any more a standard loadbalanced setup works just fine

[angelneda]

Thanks Steveh, but how can I tell to the player to use a secondary load balancer if the first one is not responding?

[rrlanham]

You could use code in the player similar to the protocol rollover, and rollover to another load balancer server. You can adapt from this post:

http://www.wowzamedia.com/forums/showthread.php?t=576

If the connect fails you would try another load balancer.

Richard

[angelneda]

Thank you Richard for your answer.

I was reading the thread but I wouldn't like to change the JW source code. My question was only about if the Wowza Load Balancing plugin for JW player could help me to implement this behaviour.

[rrlanham]

I don't think it is. But, as Steve mentioned, you don't need that plugin, it's obsolete. You set up a load balancer and redirect application per the documentation in the package at top, which sends a redirect to JW Player, telling it what edge to connect to. And that's built-in to JW player, you just setup the server-side and connect to the redirect application with JW Player.

Richard

[rfkrocktk]

If I were to integrate this into my project, would I have three types of instances? Ie: a loadbalancer server, origins, and edges?

[rrlanham]

Yes, you could, but you could do all these things on a single machine, which is an appropriate way to test, and to start out. You can scale out from there.

Or you could do 3 machines to start:

1. Origin
2. Load Balancer Listener
3. Edge/Load Balancer Sender

Notice that the Origin and Load Balancer Listener can be on different machines, but an edge server must also be a load balancer sender for this to work.

People often overlap terminology for Origin and Load Balancer Sender, and sometimes end up a little confused, so it is good to understand these parts distinctly.

Richard

[rrlanham]

Also, I should add, it is very common and not a problem to use the same machine for Origin and Load Balancer Listener. It makes sense, and it is good use of hardware resources, but it is not necessary in the way that it is to have each Edge also be a Load Balancer Sender.

Richard