Pinnacle Systems MediaCentral Platform Services - 2.3 User Manual

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MediaCentral Platform Services 2.3 Hardware Guide

Important Information

Revision History

Date Revised

Changes Made

First Publication

About MCS 2.3

For the latest information on MediaCentral Platform Services, see the documentation available from the MediaCentral Services page of the Avid Knowledge Base. Updates are occasionally issued after initial release.

http://avid.force.com/pkb/articles/en_US/readme/Avid-MediaCentral-Version-2-3-x-Documentation

Note: For information on the supported RHEL version see the MediaCentral Platform 2.3 ReadMe.

This document is intended for people who either need to advise on or directly make purchase decisions for hardware on which MediaCentral Platform Services (MCS) will be installed and configured.

A basic understanding of server components (CPU, RAM, network cards) is required, but this document does not go into technical depth in this respect.

Note: This document provides HP and Dell part numbers for each item as a reference. Prices are no longer provided, and may differ, depending on your geography and the customer’s relationship with HP or Dell. Part numbers may change without notification. Consult with the manufacturer directly for updated information.

Updates from the 2.2 Installation Guide include:

June 25, 2015

• Clarification on qualified number of video analysis requests in section 15.

• Minor style changes.

Please see the MediaCentral Platform 2.3 ReadMe and any ReadMe documents pertaining to the solution(s) by which MCS is used.

MediaCentral Platform Services 2.3 Hardware Guide

Contents

1 Additional Resources ..................................................................................................................4

1.1 Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) ................................................................................................... 4

1.2 Hewlett-Packard (HP) and Dell...................................................................................................... 4

1.2.1 HP ProLiant DL360 Gen9 ....................................................................................................... 4

1.2.2 HP ProLiant DL360p Gen8 ..................................................................................................... 5

1.2.3 HP ProLiant DL380 Gen7 ....................................................................................................... 5

1.2.4 Dell PowerEdge R630 ............................................................................................................ 5

2 Overview ....................................................................................................................................6

2.1 What is MCS? ................................................................................................................................ 6

2.2 Buying Hardware for MCS ............................................................................................................. 6

2.3 Server Requirements at a Glance .................................................................................................. 7

3 Qualified Servers ........................................................................................................................9

3.1 HP ProLiant DL360 Gen9 ............................................................................................................... 9

3.2 HP ProLiant DL360p Gen8 ........................................................................................................... 12

3.3 Dell PowerEdge R630 .................................................................................................................. 14

4 Operating System Requirements ............................................................................................... 16

4.1 HP RHEL Support ......................................................................................................................... 16

4.2 Dell RHEL Support........................................................................................................................ 17

4.3 Direct RHEL Support .................................................................................................................... 17

4.4 Optional Support ......................................................................................................................... 17

5 Memory Requirements ............................................................................................................. 17

5.1 96GB RAM Slot Usage ................................................................................................................. 18

5.2 128GB RAM Slot Usage ...............................................................................................................

6 Caching and HDD Requirements ................................................................................................ 19

6.1 Media Cache Drive Configuration ............................................................................................... 20

7 Optional Items for Connection to ISIS ........................................................................................ 21

8 Deploying Multiple Servers ....................................................................................................... 21

8.1 About MCS Video Playback ......................................................................................................... 22

8.2 Redundancy ................................................................................................................................. 22

8.3 Horizontal Scale .......................................................................................................................... 22

9 HP DL360 Gen9 Hardware Requirements ................................................................................... 23

9.1 Complete List of Supported CPUs ................................................................................................ 25

10 Dell PowerEdge R630 Hardware Requirements ...................................................................... 26

11 Over-Specifying and Under-Specifying the Hardware ............................................................. 29

11.1 iNEWS-Only MCS 2.3 ................................................................................................................... 29

11.2 MCS 2.3 & iNEWS on the Same Server ........................................................................................ 30

12 Adding Memory to Accommodate Higher-Quality Playback ................................................... 30

12.1 Intel Xeon 2650L V3 CPU ............................................................................................................. 30

13 How Many Servers: MediaCentral & Media Composer | Cloud ............................................... 31

13.1 iNEWS-only Deployments of MediaCentral? ............................................................................... 31

MediaCentral Platform Services 2.3 Hardware Guide

13.2 Deployment and Workflow Assessment ..................................................................................... 31

13.3 Media Format and Stream Count Assessment ............................................................................ 32

13.3.1 Intel Xeon 2650L V3 CPU ..................................................................................................... 33

13.3.2 Ivy Bridge (V2) CPU ............................................................................................................. 33

13.3.3 Sandy Bridge (non V2) CPU ................................................................................................. 34

13.4 Peak Usage Assessment .............................................................................................................. 34

13.5 Overhead Assessment ................................................................................................................. 35

13.6 Final Assessment ......................................................................................................................... 35

14 How Many Servers: Interplay | MAM .................................................................................... 36

14.1 General Project Information ....................................................................................................... 37

14.2 Formats, Workflows, & Expected Peak Load .............................................................................. 37

15 Appendix A: HP DL360p Gen8 Hardware Requirements .......................................................... 38

15.1 Complete List of Supported CPUs ................................................................................................ 40

16 Copyright and Disclaimer ...................................................................................................... 41

Additional Resources

1.1 Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)

1.2 Hewlett-Packard (HP) and Dell

1.2.1 HP ProLiant DL360 Gen9

The following section provides useful links for vendors discussed in this guide.

• Red Hat RHEL support options:

https://www.redhat.com/wapps/store/catalog.html

Consult the manufacturer’s web site for the most up-to-date for resources for researching and configuring the servers supported for MediaCentral Platform Services.

• HP web site (US):

MediaCentral Platform Services 2.3 Hardware Guide

http://www8.hp.com/us/en/home.html

• DellHP web site (US):

http://www.dell.com/us/business/p/enterprise-products

• HP ProLiant DL360 Gen9 product page:

http://www8.hp.com/us/en/products/proliant-servers/productdetail.html?oid=7252836#!tab=features

• “QuickSpecs” for detailed specifications, including up-to-date options and part numbers

(also available as a PDF):

http://h20195.www2.hp.com/v2/gethtml.aspx?docname=c04375623

http://h20195.www2.hp.com/v2/GetDocument.aspx?docname=c04375623

• HP Support Center for this model:

http://h20566.www2.hp.com/portal/site/hpsc/public/psi/home/?sp4ts.oid=7252836

• HP RHEL support options:

http://h30094.www3.hp.com/searchresults.aspx?store_id=17&search_id=180&dept_id =1128

1.2.2 HP ProLiant DL360p Gen8

1.2.3 HP ProLiant DL380 Gen7

1.2.4 Dell PowerEdge R630

• HP ProLiant DL360p Gen8 product page:

http://www8.hp.com/us/en/products/proliant-servers/productdetail.html?oid=5177953#!tab=features

• “QuickSpecs” for detailed specifications, including up-to-date options and part numbers

(also available as a PDF):

MediaCentral Platform Services 2.3 Hardware Guide

http://h18000.www1.hp.com/products/quickspecs/14211_na/14211_na.html

http://h18000.www1.hp.com/products/quickspecs/14211_na/14211_na.pdf

• HP Support Center for this model:

http://h20565.www2.hp.com/portal/site/hpsc/public/psi/home/?sp4ts.oid=5177953

• HP RHEL support options:

http://h30094.www3.hp.com/searchresults.aspx?store_id=17&search_id=180&dept_id=1128

Although no longer available for purchase, this server continues to be supported.

• HP Support Center for this model:

http://h20565.www2.hp.com/portal/site/hpsc/public/psi/home/?sp4ts.oid=4091412

• Dell PowerEdge R630 product page:

http://www.dell.com/ca/business/p/poweredge-r630/pd

• Dell Support Center for this model:

http://www.dell.com/support/home/us/en/04/Products/

Note: The Dell PowerEdge R620 server is supported but unavailable for purchase at time of publication. Only part numbers for the Dell R630 are provided.

Overview

2.1 What is MCS?

2.2 Buying Hardware for MCS

Before getting into the details of buying hardware for MCS, take a moment to understand what MCS is, and why it is important to make the right hardware purchase decisions.

MCS is a set of software services that serve application layouts for applications, provide user authentication, manage system configuration settings, and deliver video playback over the network to web-based and mobile clients used with the following Avid solutions:

• MediaCentral | UX

• Media Composer | Cloud

• Interplay | MAM

• Media | Distribute

MCS consists of:

• MediaCentral Middleware Services

• MediaCentral User Management Services

• MediaCentral Playback Services

• MediaCentral Configuration Service

• MediaCentral Messaging Service

• MediaCentral AAF Generator Service

MediaCentral Platform Services 2.3 Hardware Guide

MCS installs all services on the same server, and multiple servers can be clustered together to obtain high-availability and horizontal scale.

For the most part, provisioning hardware is straightforward in that it is easy to configure a basic supported server. However, due to the different and optional video playback methods and features determining exactly what to provision can be complex. Take the time needed to determine the number of servers required, and the options with which the servers may need to be provisioned.

This document aims to facilitate the process of determining how many servers are needed, and which, if any, options are required.

• MCS supports MediaCentral and Media Composer | Cloud on HP and Dell hardware

only.

• MCS supports Interplay | MAM on HP, Dell and other hardware.

• MCS supports deployments that do not require video playback on HP, Dell and other

hardware. An iNEWS-only deployment with connections to iNEWS but no connection to Interplay | Production is a non-video deployment.

2.3 Server Requirements at a Glance

In all cases, it is recommended that you review hardware purchase assessments with a qualified Avid representative before purchasing any servers. Reviewing this document is an essential first step prior to consultation that will accelerate the process.

After reading this document you should be able to:

 Clearly identify the solution for which you are buying MCS hardware  Determine the general hardware platform you need to buy  Choose the Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) support subscription option that best

meets your needs

 Determine which, if any, specific network interface cards (NICs) are required  Determine whether or not you require additional hard drives for media caching  Collect data that will allow you to determine how many MCS servers are required  In the case of provisioning hardware from Avid, HP, or Dell, provide valid part numbers

for everything you need to offer

 If applicable, explain all hardware purchases to your customer

The number of servers needed depends on a number of factors that can be determined in advance of hardware procurement:

MediaCentral Platform Services 2.3 Hardware Guide

1. Deployment Type: This type of deployment has a primary influence on server

requirements. An iNEWS only deployment without video playback has the lowest processing needs. MediaCentral UX and Interplay MAM deployments require more CPU resources, due to the media transcoding requirements.

2. Media Formats: The next biggest consideration is the media storage format. For

example, DNxHD is a resource-intensive media format. Avid JFIF is lightweight, in comparison. Thus for the same number of users, fewer servers are needed for a site where media is stored as Avid JFIF.

3. Frame-based vs File-based Playback: In frame-based playback, MCS decodes the stored

proxies and streams images and audio to the remote client as individual frames. In filebased playback, MCS transcodes to FLV and caches the results. Both MediaCentral UX and Interplay MAM can be set (by the end-user) for either frame-based or file-based playback. Frame-based playback is the more CPU-intensive. As above, for the same number of users, fewer servers will be needed for a site favoring file-based playback.

4. Number of Users: The number of servers deployed must match peak usage

requirements. For example, if a single server can simultaneously transcode 15 streams of the proxy storage format, but 25 users are expected, two servers will be needed.

The following table summarizes the basic cases for one, two and three or more servers. For a detailed discussion see “Deploying Multiple Servers” on page 21

MediaCentral Platform Services 2.3 Hardware Guide

Number

Deployment

Description

Single Server

The minimum deployment model, suitable for environments 2

Master + Slave

Adds automatic failover safety to the basic single-server

Master + Slave

Adds increased peak-usage and media transcoding capacity.

of Servers

Model

+ Load Balancing

with few users and/or undemanding transcoding requirements.

For example, suitable for MediaCentral for iNEWS-only deployment; that is, to browse and edit iNEWS content with no connection to Interplay | Production (hence no video browse/edit/playback).

deployment, plus increased peak-usage and transcoding capacity.

This is the minimum recommended deployment for most scenarios.

Deploying multiple servers in a cluster is particularly important for sites with many users and/or resource-hungry media formats.

For example, a single server can support the simultaneous playback of over 100 Avid JFIF media streams, but only 15 streams of AVC Intra 50 to MediaCentral UX.

Qualified Servers

3.1 HP ProLiant DL360 Gen9

The following servers are qualified for use with MCS 2.3:

 HP ProLiant DL360 Gen9  HP ProLiant DL360p Gen8  Dell PowerEdge R630

We currently qualify the HP DL360 Gen9 server. This 1U form factor server provides enough expansion for NICs and drives to suit all MCS deployments.

DL360 Gen9 - Front

MediaCentral Platform Services 2.3 Hardware Guide

1. Access Panel

2. Serial Label Pull Tab

3. HP Universal Media Bay

4. Power On/Standby button and system power LED button

5. Health LED

6. NIC Status LED

7. USB 3.0 Connector

8. Unit Identification Button & LED

9. SAS/SATA/SSD Drive Bays

MediaCentral Platform Services 2.3 Hardware Guide

DL360 Gen9 - Back

1. PCIe 3.0 Slots 1-3

2. HP Flexible Slot Power Supply Bay 2

3. Power Supply 2 Status LED

4. Power Supply 2 C13 Connection

5. HP Flexible Slot Power Supply Bay 1

6. Power Supply 1 Status LED

7. Power Supply 1 C13 Connection

8. Video Connector

9. Embedded 4x1GbE Network Adapter

10. Dedicated iLO 4 connector

11. Serial Port Connector (Optional)

12. USB 3.0 Connectors (2)

13. Unit Identification LED

14. FlexibleLOM bay (Optional)

NOTE: Shown: 4x1Gbe.

DL360 Gen9 - Top

MediaCentral Platform Services 2.3 Hardware Guide

1. 5 Standard Fans Ship for 1P and 7 Standard Fans Ship for 2P

NOTE: High Performance Fans also available as an option.

2. 2 Processors with HP Smart Socket Guide

3. HP Smart Storage Battery

4. 24 DDR4 DIMM slots (12 per processor)

5. MicroSD card slot

6. Dual Internal USB 3.0 connector

7. HP Flexible Smart Array or Smart HBA

8. 2 HP Flexible Slot Power supplies

9. Secondary PCIe 3.0 riser for PCIe slot 3 (requires CPU 2)

10. Embedded 4x1Gbe NIC

11. Primary PCIe 3.0 riser for PCIe slots 1 & 2

12. FlexibleLOM Bay

13. Embedded SATA Controller ports

3.2 HP ProLiant DL360p Gen8

We currently qualify the HP DL360P Gen8 server; however, this server is no longer available for purchase in some regions. This 1U form factor server provides enough expansion for NICs and drives to suit all MCS deployments.

DL360p Gen8 - Overview

MediaCentral Platform Services 2.3 Hardware Guide

1. Hood cover

2. Up to two Intel® E5-2600 Series processors

3. Optical Disk Drive Bay

4. Active Health and Network Status LEDs

5. Video connector (requires Front Video Adapter Kit)

6. Slide-out System Insight Display (SID)

7. Hard Drive Bays

8. Removable hot-plug fan modules for easy serviceability

9. 24 DIMM slots

10. Redundant Hot Plug Power Supplies (upgradeable option)

11. Removable Riser Cage assembly for 2 x PCIe 3.0

Slots

MediaCentral Platform Services 2.3 Hardware Guide

DL360p Gen8 - Back

1. PCIe 3.0 Full-height/half length x16 expansion slot

(Myricom 10GigE / HP NC365T GigE NIC card goes here)

2. FlexibleLOM ports (Shown: 4 ports 1Gb each)

3. Video connector

4. Serial connector

5. PCIe 3.0 Low Profile x8 expansion slot (not used)

6. iLO Management Engine NIC connector

7. Unit ID LED/button

8. 4 USB connectors

9. Power supply bay 2 (Shown populated: Optional Power Supply for Redundant Power)

10. Power supply bay 1 (Primary Power Supply)

11. Power Supplies Health/Activity Indicators

3.3 Dell PowerEdge R630

1. Diagnostic indicators

6. Mini USB connector/iDRAC Direct

2. System health indicator

7. Information tag

3. Power-on indicator, power button

8. Hard drives (10)

4. NMI button

9. Quick Sync

5. System identification button

1. System identification button

7. Video connector

2. System identification connector

8. USB connectors (2)

3. iDRAC8 Enterprise port

9. LP PCIe expansion card slot (riser 3)

4. LP PCIe expansion card slot (riser 1)

10. Ethernet connectors (4)

5. Serial connector

11. Power supply (PSU1)

6. LP PCIe expansion card slot (riser 2)

12. Power supply (PSU2)

We currently qualify the Dell PowerEdge R630 server. This 1U form factor server provides enough expansion for NICs and drives to suit all MCS deployments.

The Dell PowerEdge R620 is also supported, but is unavailable for purchase in some regions.

PowerEdge R630 - Front

MediaCentral Platform Services 2.3 Hardware Guide

PowerEdge R630 - Back

1. Control panel assembly (not indicated)

9. Riser card 1

2. Cooling fans (7)

10. Riser card 2

3. Processor 1

11. DIMMs (6)

4. DIMMs (6)

12. Processor 2

5. PSU connector

13. DIMMs (12)

6. Power supply (2)

14. Expander board

7. Riser card

15. Hard drive

8. Network daughter card

PowerEdge R630 - Top

MediaCentral Platform Services 2.3 Hardware Guide

Operating System Requirements

4.1 HP RHEL Support

Item

Qty

Part Number

Component

Description

1 1 BC321AAE

RHEL 6 Support

Red Hat Enterprise Linux 2

MediaCentral Platform Services 2.3 Hardware Guide

MCS requires Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL), a commercially supported open source operating system. RHEL is not free, and Avid does not redistribute it or include it as part of the MCS solution.

Note: For information on the supported RHEL version see the MediaCentral Platform 2.3 ReadMe.

In order to be legally compliant with the RHEL EULA, customers are required to procure a RHEL support subscription, a commercial offering that recurs annually. RHEL support offers two key components:

• Technical support for OS-related issues. The level of support depends on the support

subscription purchased by the customer.

• Indemnification. Because RHEL is an open source project, there is a risk that it will be

discovered to infringe on patents and the patent holders will take legal action. Red Hat protects its customers by taking legal responsibility for the distribution.

There are two different ways to provision RHEL support:

• HP offers RHEL 3-yr. renewable support subscriptions.

• Red Hat offers different tiers of annual support subscriptions directly.

HP RHEL support covers indemnification and provides technical support staffed by people who specialize in Red Hat running on HP servers. This option is fairly expensive (compared to Red Hat direct offerings) but gives the customer ‘one throat to choke’ for OS and hardware related issues. It also is an easier purchase process—the customer simply adds it to the HP server order.

HP provides other RHEL support options (shorter terms, support for more server sockets and/or virtual guests), but we see this option as the most appropriate for MCS deployments. For more information, visit:

Sockets 1 Guest 3 Year Subscription 24x7 Support No Media Lic E-LTU

http://h30094.www3.hp.com/searchresults.aspx?store_id=17&search_id=180&dept_id=1128

4.2 Dell RHEL Support

4.3 Direct RHEL Support

4.4 Optional Support

Memory Requirements

RAM

Description

96GB

Minimum RAM required for all deployments

128GB

Minimum RAM required for deployments with high-quality streaming

For information on Dell RHEL support:

MediaCentral Platform Services 2.3 Hardware Guide

http://www.dell.com/redhat

http://en.community.dell.com/techcenter/os-applications/w/wiki/red-hat

http://www.dell.com/learn/us/en/qto87/operating-systems/redhatalliance

Price-sensitive customers may prefer to provision RHEL support subscriptions directly from Red Hat. In this case, they order the server with no OS. In parallel they buy RHEL support from Red Hat—in which case they have different support tiers to choose from.

The least expensive option is RHEL Self-Support. It is roughly 25% of the cost of the HP RHEL support, but it covers indemnification only. For actual technical support issues, it simply provides access to Red Hat online resources and community support. It should be noted that OSrelated issues for MCS are extremely rare (in fact, so far unprecedented). For more information on Red Hat’s support offerings and pricing, visit:

https://www.redhat.com/wapps/store/catalog.html

HP and Dell offer several support options varying in coverage and duration. Customers should purchase the support option they feel is appropriate for their operation.

The following table summarizes the memory requirements.

and/or Media | Index

To optimize RAM configuration and slot usage, it is helpful to understand how the Intel Xeon 2650L V3 CPU handles its RAM. As shown in the following illustration, the CPU features 4 memory channels with 3 DIMM slots per channel. When populating the motherboard with RAM, ideally each channel receives at least one DIMM (not shown in illustration).

MediaCentral Platform Services 2.3 Hardware Guide

CPU

Memory Channel

SLOT SLOT SLOT SLOT SLOT SLOT SLOT SLOT SLOT SLOT SLOT SLOT

CPU

Memory

Channel

Memory Channel

SLOT SLOT SLOT SLOT SLOT SLOT SLOT SLOT SLOT SLOT SLOT SLOT

5.1 96GB RAM Slot Usage

Xeon E5

2650

(v3)

Memory Channel

SLOT SL OT SLOT SLOT SLOT SLOT SLOT SLOT SLOT SLOT SLOT SLOT

Xeon E5

2650

(v3)

Memory Channel

Memory

Channel

Memory Channel

SLOT SL OT SLOT SLOT SLOT SLOT SLOT SLOT SLOT SLOT SLOT SLOT

8 8 --

8 8 -- 8 8 -- 8 8 --

8 8 --

8 8 -- 8 8 --

1 6

-- --

1 6

-- --

1 6

-- -- -- -- --

1 6

-- --

1 6

-- --

1 6

-- -- -- -- --

96 GB

12 x 8 GB DIMMs: better performance @ 1 28GB, expandable to 192 GB.

6 x 16 GB DIMMs expandable to 384 GB.

Dual 12-core

For optimal memory performance, select RAM in “kits” of matched DIMMS that correspond to the available memory channels (e.g. x4, x8). For example, you could deploy two x4 kits, or one x8 kit. A x4 kit would consist of 4 matched DIMMs. An x8 kit would consist of 8 matched DIMMs. Matched DIMMs are tested and guaranteed to perform well when installed, one per channel, in each of a CPUs memory channels. DIMM slots are usually color coded to indicate each memory channel.

Mixing DIMMs of different size and/or different kits is not recommended, and can result in performance degradation that can be hard to diagnose and remedy. Please consult your hardware vendor for assistance with RAM configuration.

When configuring the server with 96GB RAM, the following illustration shows acceptable DIMM placement.

In the above illustration, note that the first configuration (12 x 8GB DIMMs) indicates best use of the CPU’s capabilities, since it populates each memory channel. As noted, unused memory channels can result in suboptimal RAM performance.

5.2 128GB RAM Slot Usage

Memory Channel

SLOT SL OT SLOT SLOT SLOT SLOT SLOT SLOT SLOT SLOT SLOT SLOT

Memory Channel

Memory

Channel

Memory Channel

SLOT SL OT SLOT SLOT SLOT SLOT SLOT SLOT SLOT SLOT SLOT SLOT

8 8 --

8 --

8 8 -- 8 8 -- 8 8

8 8 --

8 8 -- 8 8 --

1 6

-- --

1 6

-- --

1 6

-- --

1 6

-- --

1 6

-- --

1 6

-- --

1 6

-- --

16 x 8 GB DIMMs: better performance @ 9 6 GB, expandable to 192 GB.

8 x 16 GB DIMMs: expandable to 384 GB.

128 GB

Xeon E5

2650

(v3)

Xeon E5

2650

(v3)

Dual 12-core

Caching and HDD Requirements

When configuring the server with 128GB RAM, the following illustration shows acceptable DIMM placement.

In the above illustration, both deployment styles are acceptable, since each channel receives at least one DIMM.

MediaCentral Platform Services 2.3 Hardware Guide

In several workflows, MCS generates and caches web and mobile format media assets. These workflows include:

• Multi-cam logging functionality is used in MediaCentral | UX, must be configured with

media cache drives.

• iOS application Interplay and iNEWS video asset playback.

• Interplay | MAM browse proxy file-based playback for formats that cannot be natively

loaded in the Flash player (MPEG-1, Sony XDCAM, WMV, Harmonic MXF).

These workflows all share the same requirement: video playback from a web or mobile application is requested of a source media asset that is not web or mobile compliant. In this case MCS must locally generate a web and mobile compliant copy of the source media asset. This asset is then served to the requesting web or mobile application. The asset is also cached in anticipation of a subsequent playback request.

As a result, additional drives are required on MCS servers for this cache:

 The HP ProLiant DL360 supports up to 8 internal drives. 2 drives are used for the

operating system (in a RAID 1 configuration).

 The Dell PowerEdge R630 supports up to 10 internal drives. 2 drives are used for the

operating system (in a RAID 1 configuration).

Deployment

Cache Requirements

Comments

MCS for MediaCentral

Yes. A media cache is

Populated with JPEG images when

MCS for MediaCentral:

No. A media cache is not

MCS for Interplay | MAM:

Yes. A media cache is

Populated with FLV videos when a fileMCS for Interplay | MAM:

No. A media cache is not

For hard drive specifications and the number of drives required, see “Media Cache Drive Configuration”,

6.1 Media Cache Drive Configuration

Drives

Volume Configuration and Notes

A single hard drive configured as a separate volume.

2 drives configured as a RAID1 volume.

6 drives configured as a RAID5 volume.

Important: In all cases, the media cache is distinct from, and in addition to, the 2 HDD RAID1 volume

Supplier

Item

Qty

Part Number /

Description

1 6 652572-B21

HP 450GB 6G SAS 10K SFF (2.5-inch) SC Enterprise 3 yr

Dell

1 6 600S10

600GB 10K RPM SAS 6Gbps 2.5in Hot-plug Hard Drive

The following table summarizes caching requirements:

MediaCentral Platform Services 2.3 Hardware Guide

required.

iNEWS-only

Other Browse Proxy Formats

MP4 (h.264/aac) browse proxies

below.

required.

When a media cache is required, the following options are supported:

This configuration provides no redundancy in case of hard drive failure.

multi-cam logging is performed and MPEG-2 Transport Stream media files when the iOS application is used.

based playback request is made of any non-MP4 (h.264/aac) format proxy.

This configuration provides redundancy in case one of the hard drives fails.

This configuration provides redundancy in the event of hard drive failure. It also provides increase I/O for a higher volume of proxy generation and serving.

configured for the operating system.

The cache drives can be sourced directly from HP/Dell as part of your server requisition. The following drives are recommended:

Product Code

Warranty HDD

Optional Items for Connection to ISIS

Item

Qty

HP/Dell

Component

Description

665240-B21

HP Ethernet 1Gb 4-port 366FLR FIO

684217-B21

HP Ethernet 1Gb 4-port 366FLR FIO

540-BBHF

Intel Ethernet i350 QP 1Gb Network

Item

Qty

HP Part Number

Component

Description

HP NC365T 4-port Ethernet Server

Item

Qty

Avid Part Number

Component

Description

Single Channel 10 GigE PCI-e network

Deploying Multiple Servers

MediaCentral Platform Services 2.3 Hardware Guide

MCS provides playback of video assets registered in Interplay | Production and residing on an ISIS over a Zone 1, Zone 2, or Zone 3 (recommended) connection, GigE or 10GigE. A 10GigE connection is required for any MediaCentral deployment that will use 100+ Mbps video formats (e.g., AVC-I 100, DVCPro 100, DNxHD 145).

• If you are connecting MCS server(s) to the ISIS via GigE, the following GigE NIC is

required, and can be sourced directly from HP/Dell as part of your server requisition.

Part Number

GigE NIC

adapter

Daughter Card

1 1

(Gen9 Part Number)

(Gen8 Part Number)

(R620 & R630)

• The following GigE NIC is still supported for ISIS connections:

1 1 593722-B21 GigE NIC

Adapter (for the HP Gen8 server only)

• If you are connecting MCS server(s) to the ISIS via 10GigE, the following 10GigE NIC is

required, and can be sourced from Avid. This is the only NIC that works with the ISIS client—if another 10GigE NIC is installed, it will have unknown performance characteristics and may simply not work.

1 1 7010-30241-01 10 GigE NIC

interface card with short range (SR) integrated optics

Note: If you are connecting the MCS servers to the ISIS via 10GigE, additional networking infrastructure may be required. Make sure you review solution design with an Avid representative.

Determining the number of MCS servers required for a given installation can be challenging. Some MCS deployments are straightforward, but other can be difficult because MCS provides several different playback methods that have very different CPU and I/O footprints. In cases where different playback methods are used, it can get complicated.

The two factors that determine the quantity of servers required for an MCS deployment are redundancy and horizontal scale.

8.1 About MCS Video Playback

8.2 Redundancy

8.3 Horizontal Scale

MCS for MediaCentral provides playback of different format video assets registered by Interplay | Production and residing on ISIS. MCS decodes the source format and streams images and sound to the remote web-based MediaCentral client.

MediaCentral playback capacity per server is limited by one of two factors:

• CPU bound: after a certain number of playback streams, the server has no more CPU

cycles left

• I/O bound: after a certain number of streams, the servers connection to the ISIS cannot

draw any more

Different source formats have different CPU-decode profiles, and different I/O footprints. Typically: low bitrate source formats are CPU bound; high-bitrate source formats are I/O bound.

The other factor that determines whether a source format is CPU or I/O bound is the ISIS connection, which is either GigE or 10GigE.

The first factor that may require adding a server is if the customer requires redundancy for all services.

MediaCentral Platform Services 2.3 Hardware Guide

An MCS deployment is at minimum a single playback server. However, in most cases we recommend that customers deploy two servers to obtain high-availability. Depending on source formats and the expected number of concurrent users at peak usage—more servers may be required in a load-balanced playback server cluster.

No special hardware is required for redundancy with MCS. Failover and load balancing are provided by software services running directly on the MCS server(s).

So, the first question you have to answer when trying to determine how many servers are needed is:

Is high-availability required?

• If no, then one server is required, possibly more only if concurrent usage peaks are not

satisfied by the playback capacity of a single server.

• If yes, then two servers are required, possibly more only if concurrent usage peaks are

not satisfied by the playback capacity of two servers. See “

Count Assessment” on page 32.

Most MCS services run on a single server and at most failover to another server in the cluster. The MediaCentral Playback Services (MCPS), however, are the hungriest services (CPU and memory) and are designed to run on all servers in the cluster such that playback sessions are distributed, or load-balanced, across all servers. This allows for horizontal scale—adding servers in a cluster to accommodate increased capacity.

Media Format and Stream

HP DL360 Gen9 Hardware Requirements

Item

Qty

Part Number

Component

Description

1 1 755258-B21

Product

HP ProLiant DL360 Gen9 8-SFF

2 1 764101-L21

Processors

HP DL360p Gen9 E5-2650Lv3

3 1 764101-B21

HP DL360p Gen9 E5-2650Lv3

726718-B21

Memory*

HP 8GB (1x8GB) Single Rank x4 DDR4-

5 766205-B21

Storage controller**

HP DL360 Gen9 Smart Array P840 SAS

6 --

Drive cage

HP 8-Bay Small Form Factor Drive Cage

764630-B21

Additional drive cage

HP DL360 Gen9 2SFF SAS/SATA

7 2 652745-B21

hard drive &

HP 500GB 6G SAS 7.2K rpm SFF (2.5in)

6 652572-B21

3rd through 8th

HP 450GB 6G SAS 10K SFF (2.5-inch) SC

8 --

RAID setting

None. Do not specify a RAID setting

784308-B21

BIOS Mode/

HP FIO Enable B140i Setting

10 665240-B21

FlexibleLOM options/

HP Ethernet 1GbE 4-port 366FLR

11 2 720479-B21

Power Supply

HP 800W Flex Slot Platinum Hot Plug

12 2 AF556A

Power Cord

HP C13 - Nema 5-15P US/CA 110V

MediaCentral Platform Services 2.3 Hardware Guide

The following table presents the minimum server specification.

Configure-to-order (CTO) Server

(1.8GHz/12-core/30MB/65W) FIO (Factory Installation Option) Processor Kit

(1.8GHz/12-core/30MB/65W) Processor Kit

2133 CAS-15-15-15 Registered Memory Kit

2nd hard drive

hard drives***

Controller State Setting

upgrades****

Card with Cable Kit

Universal Media Bay Kit

SC Midline 1 yr Warranty Hard Drive

Enterprise 3 yr Warranty HDD

when ordering. RAID is configured during software installation.

(FlexibleLOM form factor) FIO (Factory Installed Option) adapter

Power Supply Kit

10Amp 1.83m Power Cord

MediaCentral Platform Services 2.3 Hardware Guide

Item

Qty

Part Number

Component

Description

13 1 663201-B21

Rail Kit

HP 1U Small Form Factor Ball Bearing

*Alternately, to configure 6x16GB RAM (for a total of 96GB RAM), HP online server configuration

Rail Kit

requires the following selection (select once for each of the two CPUs):

HP 48GB (3x16GB) Dual Rank x4 Dual Rank x4 DDR4-2133 CAS-15-15-15 Registered Memory Kit

Before provisioning memory, see “Additional Note on Item #4

”, below.

**Includes the P840 Smart Array controller with 4GB integrated cache, HP Smart Storage Battery, and associated cabling to attach it to a 10SFF configuration.

***The procurement of additional HDDs for caching depends on deployment and media formats. See “Caching and HDD Requirements” on page 19

****For non-ISIS connections, you can substitute the following adapter instead:

HP Ethernet 1GbE 4-port 331FLR (FlexibleLOM form factor) FIO (Factory Installation Option) Adapter (part # 684208-B21)

Note on Item #4—The server must be configured with 12x8GB RAM DIMMs. Some clusters in the field have been found with nodes using different configurations of 8 and 4 GB DIMMs in different configurations, which can adversely affect system synchronization required for stable playback.

Additional Note on Item #4—If you plan to enable settings in MediaCentral UX permitting playback at higher image quality you must configure more memory than indicated in the body of the table. See “Adding Memory to Accommodate Higher-Quality Playback” on page 30

Note on Item #7—The DL360 supports up to 8 internal drives. 2 drives are required for the operating system (in a RAID 1 configuration). In some cases, additional drives may be required for file caching. See “Caching and HDD Requirements” on page 19

Note on Item #10—This HP Ethernet 1GbE 4-port 331FLR adapter (network interface card) cannot be used for an ISIS connection! If you are purchasing servers to configure MCS for use with MediaCentral connected to one or more ISIS storage systems, substitute the substitute the HP Ethernet 1Gb 4-port 366FLR FIO adapter instead. See also ”Optional Items for Connection to ISIS“ on page 21

Note on Item #12—The power cord indicated is standard for North America, Central America, parts of South America, and other countries. Please ensure you specify the correct power cord for your particular geographical region.

9.1 Complete List of Supported CPUs

Part Number

Description

755388-L21/B21

HP DL360 Gen9 Intel Xeon E5-2650v3 (2.3GHz/10-core/25MB/105 W)

755390-L21/B21

HP DL360 Gen9 Intel Xeon E5-2660v3 (2.6 GHz/10-core/25MB/105 W)

755392-L21/B21

HP DL360 Gen9 Intel Xeon E5-2670v3 (2.3 GHz/12-core/30MB/120 W)

755394-L21/B21

HP DL360 Gen9 Intel Xeon E5-2680v3 (2.5 GHz/12-core/30MB/120 W)

755396-L21/B21

HP DL360 Gen9 Intel Xeon E5-2690v3 (2.6 GHz/12-core/30MB/135 W)

755398-L21/B21

HP DL360 Gen9 Intel Xeon E5-2683v3 (2.0 GHz/14-core/35MB/120 W)

755400-L21/B21

HP DL360 Gen9 Intel Xeon E5-2695v3 (2.3 GHz/14-core/35MB/120 W)

755402-L21/B21

HP DL360 Gen9 Intel Xeon E5-2697v3 (2.6 GHz/14-core/35MB/145 W)

755408-L21/B21

HP DL360 Gen9 Intel Xeon E5-2667v3 (3.2 GHz/8-core/20MB/135 W)

764099-L21/B21

HP DL360 Gen9 Intel Xeon E5-2698v3 (2.3 GHz/16-core/40MB/135 W)

764101-L21/B21

HP DL360 Gen9 Intel Xeon E5-2650Lv3 (1.8GHz/12-core/30MB/65 W)

780003-L21/B21

HP DL360 Gen9 Intel Xeon E5-2699v3 (2.3 GHz/18-core/45MB/145 W)

The following is the complete list of E5-2600 V3 series processors supported for MCS.

MediaCentral Platform Services 2.3 Hardware Guide

10 Dell PowerEdge R630 Hardware Requirements

Item

Qty

Product Code

Component

Description

1 1 R630

Product

PowerEdge R630 Server, No TPM

103P

Chassis

Chassis with up to 10, 2.5" Hard Drives, 3

3 1 10523

Processors

Intel® Xeon® E5-2650 v3 2.3GHz,25M

4 1 A10523

Intel® Xeon® E5-2650 v3 2.3GHz,25M

5 1 HS1202

Processor Thermal

2 CPU up to 120W

PCIe Riser

None

R2133

Memory DIMM

2133MT/s RDIMMs

AECC

Memory

Advanced ECC

8G2R

Memory Capacity*

8GB RDIMM, 2133MT/s, Dual Rank, x8

URH

RAID Configuration

Unconfigured RAID for

9 1 H7301G

Storage

PERC H730 RAID Controller, 1GB NV

10 8 600S10

Hard Drives

600GB 10K RPM SAS 6Gbps 2.5in Hot-

11 1 I350

Network Daughter

Intel Ethernet i350 QP 1Gb Network

Additional Network

No additional NIC cards

Host Bus

No host bus adapter

Additional PCIe

No additional PCIe cards

The following table presents the minimum server specification.

Configuration

Type and Speed

Configuration Type

PCIe Slots

Cache,9.60GT/s QPI,Turbo,HT,10C/20T (105W)

Data Width

H330/H730/H730P (1-24 HDDs or SSDs)

Controller**

Card

Cards

Adapter/Converged Network Adapter

cards

Cache

plug Hard Drive

Daughter Card

MediaCentral Platform Services 2.3 Hardware Guide

Item

Qty

Product Code

Component

Description

15 1 I8EXP

Embedded Systems

iDRAC8 Express, integrated Dell Remote

Internal SD module

None

NODVD1

Internal Optical

No internal optical drive

NOBEZL

Bezel

No bezel

19 RRCMA

Rack Rails

ReadyRails™ Sliding Rails With Cable

HPBIOS

Performance BIOS

Performance BIOS Setting

21 1 495R

Power Supply

Dual, Hot-plug, Redundant Power Supply

22 2 125V10

Power Cord

NEMA 5-15P to C13 Wall Plug, 125 Volt,

Server Accessories

No server accessories

NODOCS

Systems

No systems documentation, no

NOOS

Operating System

No operating system

Licenses

No licenses

NOMED

OS Media Kits

No Media Required

OS Partitions

None

Secondary OS

No secondary OS

Virtualization

None

Virtualization

None

Enable

None

Database Software

None

Client Access

No client access licenses

Additional Software

None

Management

Drive

Setting

Documentation

Access Controller, Express

Management Arm

(1+1), 495W

15 AMP, 10 Feet (3m), Power Cord, North America

OpenManage DVD Kit

Software

Licenses and Subscription

Virtualization

Licenses

Offerings

MediaCentral Platform Services 2.3 Hardware Guide

Item

Qty

Product Code

Component

Description

Advanced System

No advanced system configurations

System

No system management upgrades

U3OS

Hardware Support

Avid does not have a specific

Proactive Systems

None

NOINSTL

Installation Services

No installation

Proactive

Proactive maintenance declined

NORCS

Remote Consulting

Declined Remote Consulting Service

Additional

No additional installation services

Keep Your Hard

None

*For a total of 128GB RAM select the following instead:

Configurations

Management Upgrades

Services

recommendation. Select according to client needs.

Management

Maintenance

Service

Installation Services

Drive

8x16GB RDIMM, 2133MT/s, Dual Rank, x4 Data Width

- or -

16x8GB RDIMM, 2133MT/s, Dual Rank, x8 Data Width

**PERC H730P RAID Controller, 2GB NV Cache (optional)

Note on Item #22—The power cord indicated is standard for North America, Central America, parts of South America, and other countries. Please ensure you specify the correct power cord for your particular geographical region.

MediaCentral Platform Services 2.3 Hardware Guide

11 Over-Specifying and Under-Specifying the Hardware

11.1 iNEWS-Only MCS 2.3

In some cases a price-sensitive customer looking to set up a smaller deployment may want to provision more cost effective servers because they do not need the capacity of the server specified in this document. We can support that in some cases.

In other cases, a customer may be provisioning for a very large number of users, or looking to support high-density media formats (e.g. AVC-I 50/100). In this case, getting more powerful servers can be more cost effective. This is supported.

• MediaCentral: All deployments must provision no less than the server specified in this

document:

o 2x E5-2650 8-core 2.0 GHz (2.0GHz/8-core/20MB/95W) CPU o 8x HP 8GB 1Rx4 PC3-12800R (DDR3-1600) Registered CAS-11 RAM

(total = 64GB)

• Media Composer | Cloud and MAM: In cases where not many connections are

required, fewer, lower frequency CPU cores and less RAM can be provisioned. Consult Avid product management.

• In all cases: Customers can provision faster, more powerful CPUs to get additional

capacity from their servers. It should be understood, however, that Avid has not measured server capacity in these cases. We can only say that more concurrent streams will be supported, but we cannot specify how many.

No matter which CPU is provisioned, there are hard and fast rules regarding CPU & memory allocation:

• CPU: Sandy Bridge (v1) and Ivy Bridge (v2) CPUs must be a non-energy saving model

(e.g. a performance model), minimum 2.4GHz (e.g. an Intel Xeon E5-2600 series 2.0GHz with Turbo Boost Technology capability). Certain approved Haswell (v3) processors (e.g. E5-2650Lv3) are exempt from the non-energy saving restriction.

• RAM: For each core, 4GB RAM must be installed. For example:

o 1 x 6-core CPU → 24GB RAM o 2 x 4-core CPU → 32GB RAM o 2 x 6-core CPU → 48GB RAM o 2 x 8-core CPU → 64GB RAM o 2 x 12 core CPU → 96GB RAM

Because video playback is not invoked by this configuration, the CPU and memory requirements are reduced. Hardware for this configuration need only meet the following minimum requirements:

• Minimum 2 x quad-core Intel Xeon CPU @ 1.8 GHz or higher

• 12 GB RAM

Any vendor can be supported, though as with all MCS deployments, the installation process is streamlined specifically for HP DL 360/380 G7/G8/G9 and Dell PowerEdge R630 servers.

MediaCentral Platform Services 2.3 Hardware Guide

11.2 MCS 2.3 & iNEWS on the Same Server

12 Adding Memory to Accommodate Higher-Quality

Playback

RAM

Description

96GB

Minimum RAM required for all deployments

128GB

Minimum RAM required for deployments with high-quality streaming

12.1 Intel Xeon 2650L V3 CPU

Qty

Part Number

Component

Description

726719-B21

Memory

HP 16GB (1x16GB) Dual Rank x4 DDR4-

16G2R

Memory

Dell 8x16GB RDIMM, 2133MT/s, Dual

Qty

Part Number

Component

Description

726718-B21

Memory

HP 8GB (1x8GB) Single Rank x4 DDR4-

8G2R

Memory

Dell 8GB RDIMM, 2133MT/s, Dual

You can install and run MCS and iNEWS on the same server. You can also configure iNEWS on two servers with failover, but MCS only runs on one of them without failover. The server hardware requirements for these configurations are the same as for iNEWS-only MCS.

In MediaCentral 2.0 a feature was introduced where you can add users to a group with the ability to set a maximum JPEG stream image size of up to 960px wide (as opposed to the default maximum width of 480px). If this option is used, MediaCentral servers must be provided with additional RAM, as indicated in the following table:

and/or Media | Index

If you have not already provisioned the system with the minimum RAM requirements (12x8GB = 96GB DIMMs), use the following table to accommodate higher-quality playback (8x16GB = 128GB DIMMs):

If the system has already been provisioned with 12x8GB DIMMs, purchase an additional 4x8GB of identical RAM, as illustrated in the following table:

2133 CAS-15-15-15 Registered Memory Kit

Rank, x4 Data Width

2133 CAS-15-15-15 Registered Memory Kit

Rank, x8 Data Width

MediaCentral Platform Services 2.3 Hardware Guide

13 How Many Servers: MediaCentral & Media Composer |

Cloud

13.1 iNEWS-only Deployments of MediaCentral?

13.2 Deployment and Workflow Assessment

This section of the document explains how to calculate the number of servers needed for MediaCentral and Media Composer | Cloud deployments (including deployments where MediaCentral and Media Composer | Cloud share the same MCS cluster).

Note: The MediaCentral Price Book contains tools where you enter data and the number of servers is automatically calculated for you. Make sure you have the latest price book in case there are changes to server performance capacity numbers.

The following sections cover the things you need to do to determine how many servers a deployment will need.

If you are deploying MediaCentral for iNEWS only, there is no video playback. This means one server is needed, unless high-availability is required, in which case 2 servers are needed.

It also means that a full HP DL360 Gen9 or Dell PowerEdge R630 (as specified in this document) is not required. Instead, you can provision one (or two) server(s) that meet the following minimum requirements:

• Minimum 2 x quad-core Intel Xeon CPU @ 1.8 GHz or higher

• 12 GB RAM

• 2 x 500GB SAS 7.2K hard drives (RAID1 for system drive)

But in most cases MediaCentral is configured with Interplay | Production and playback of video assets is a key part of the solution. In this case, things get more complicated. You’ve got some data to collect.

To determine the number of servers you need to support your deployment of MediaCentral or Media Composer | Cloud, you need to know the following information:

• Which media formats are in use (e.g. DNxHD 145, XDCAM50, h.264 800Kbps proxy)?

• How many users (peak usage) are expected for each format?

• Is the iOS application being deployed?

• Is Media Composer | Cloud being deployed?

• By which interface is MCS connecting to the ISIS storage (GigE or 10GigE)?

• Is an additional server required for redundancy? (Allowing for peak expected capacity

even if one server fails.)

MediaCentral Platform Services 2.3 Hardware Guide

13.3 Media Format and Stream Count Assessment

To determine the number of servers you need to support your deployment of MediaCentral or Media Composer | Cloud, you need to know which media formats are in use because a server can support a certain number of concurrent playback streams per format.

The following tables provide stream counts for the three connection types (MediaCentral, Media Composer | Cloud, and the iOS app) per server, per format, for both GigE and 10GigE connections to the ISIS.

Some notes about the numbers:

• Stream counts with purple shading indicate an I/O bound limit (the server could process

more, but it can’t pull any more streams over the GigE link).

• Stream counts with green shading indicate a CPU bound limit (the server is using its full

compute capacity).

• 100+ Mbps formats not supported over a GigE connection to the ISIS—not enough

streams can get through to be cost effective.

• iOS encoding always points to hi-res (this ensures good quality for the Wi-Fi-stream), so

no numbers are provided for proxies.

13.3.1 Intel Xeon 2650L V3 CPU

13.3.2 Ivy Bridge (V2) CPU

Format

Central Users

Sphere Users

iOS Users

GigE

10 GigE

GigE

10 GigE

GigE

10 GigE

AVC Intra 100

AVC Intra 50

Avid JFIF 2:1/20:1

†

110 † † 50

DNxHD 145

DNxHD 220x

DNxHD 100

DNX 45

DV 25

DV50

XDCAM EX 35

IMX 30/40

IMX 50

XDCAM HD 17.5/35

XDCAM HD 50

Proxy h.264

120

Proxy h.263

†

For stream counts for MCS on supported servers equipped with Intel Xeon E5-2650L V3 CPUs, please see “Ivy Bridge (V2) CPU

”, below.

The following tables provide stream counts for MCS on HP DL360p Gen8 servers equipped with Intel Xeon E5-2650 V2 (Ivy Bridge) CPUs.

Note: For this version of the document, only the Central Users 10 GigE information has been updated.

MediaCentral Platform Services 2.3 Hardware Guide

Information unavailable at time of publication.

13.3.3 Sandy Bridge (non V2) CPU

Format

GigE

10 GigE

GigE

10 GigE

GigE

10 GigE

Central Users

Sphere Users

iOS Users

DNxHD 80-145; DVCPRO-HD

AVC Intra 100

AVC Intra 50

Avid JFIF 1:1

†

27 † † 27

Avid JFIF 2:1/3:1

†

90 † † 50

Avid JFIF 4:1/8:1/15:1

†

190 † † 50

Avid JFIF 10:1/20:1

†

124 † † 50

DNX 36-45, XDCAM HD 50

XDCAM EX 35, IMX50

XDCAM HD 17.5/35

DV50

DV 25; IMX 30/40

Proxy /h.264

120

Proxy h.263

†

13.4 Peak Usage Assessment

The following tables provide stream counts for HP DL360p Gen8 servers equipped with Intel Xeon E5-2650 (Sandy Bridge) CPUs.

MediaCentral Platform Services 2.3 Hardware Guide

Information unavailable at time of publication.

To determine the number of servers you need to support your deployment of MediaCentral or Media Composer | Cloud, you need to know how many users (at peak) are expected to be working with each media format in use.

For example:

• 30 Media Composer | Cloud users of h.264 800 Kbps proxy

• 30 iOS users of XDCAM 50

• 20 users of DNxHD 145 (no proxy)

• 40 users of XDCAM 50 (no proxy)

• 75 users of h.264 800 Kbps proxy

Determining the number of servers needed is more of an art than a science. The customer has to understand their workflow and load well. It is advisable to be conservative when assessing these numbers.

13.5 Overhead Assessment

13.6 Final Assessment

To determine the number of servers you need, some overhead must be accounted for:

• There is a constant overhead of 0.25 servers to run non-playback services, followed by

the servers needed to run the total number of users for each format.

• If high-availability is required, add one (1) more server.

You make the final assessment by bringing in all previous assessments together. For example, given the following data:

• Constant 25% server overhead (.25)

• 10GigE connection to ISIS

• 30 Media Composer | Cloud users of h.264 800 Kbps proxy @ 60 streams/server (30/60)

• 30 iOS users of XDCAM 50 @ 24 streams/server (30/24)

• 20 users of DNxHD 145 (no proxy) @ 16 streams/server (20/16)

• 40 users of XDCAM 50 (no proxy) @ 24 streams/server (40/24)

• 75 users of h.264 800 Kbps proxy @ 100 streams/server (75/100)

• Plus 1 server for redundancy

MediaCentral Platform Services 2.3 Hardware Guide

You make the following calculation:

𝑥 = .25 +

which means…

𝑥 = .25 + .5 + 1.25 + 1.25 + 1.67 + .75 + 1

which means…

We recommend rounding up to ensure capacity—it also gives some additional overhead in case of oversubscription or if you want to add users.

𝑥 = 6.67 servers

100

+ 1

MediaCentral Platform Services 2.3 Hardware Guide

14 How Many Servers: Interplay | MAM

MCS for Interplay | MAM provides playback of different video asset formats registered as a browse proxy by Interplay | MAM and residing on standard filesystem storage or proprietary storage that provides a standard system gateway. For each playback request, MCS does one of the following:

• Frame-based playback. MCS decodes the proxy and streams images and audio to the

remote web-based client. This playback mode is the same one used by MediaCentral, and is required in MAM for growing file workflows and variable speed playback. This is the most CPU intensive playback mode.

• File-based playback (native). MCS serves the proxy file as is to the remote web-based

client. This playback mode requires that the proxies be a format that Flash can play natively, i.e., MP4-wrapped h.264/aac or FLV. This is the least CPU intensive playback mode.

• File-based playback (alternate) MCS decodes the proxy and transcodes it to a cached

FLV, which is subsequently served to the remote web-based client. This playback method occurs when file-based playback requests are made of proxy formats that cannot be played natively by Flash. This playback method has a one-time CPU hit on initial playback request for each asset, but it subsequently very light because the same cached file is served.

Unlike MediaCentral, MCS playback in Interplay | MAM is very rarely I/O bound. Most Interplay | MAM deployments are on a network that can sustain many, many playback requests.

Armed with this information, it is still difficult to assess how many MCS servers are needed for Interplay | MAM. The foregoing playback methods each have their own CPU footprint, and can be provisioned by MAM to different user groups.

For example, Interplay | MAM can be configured to provision 20 users the rights to use framebased playback and 1000 users to use only file-based playback. Even then, their proxy repository may be a mix of formats, only some of which can be played natively by Flash.

For this reason, IME product management recommends that you consult with them directly.

The assessment will be based on the HP DL360p Gen8 specification in this document. In some cases (very small deployments), a smaller, less expensive server specification will be recommended (fewer, lower frequency cores, less RAM).

Additionally, if the customer wants to provision servers from another vendor, IME product management will assess the request. You should attach the specifications for the server they want to provision to the completed questionnaire.

Typically the servers specified in this document can:

• Support ~120 frame-based playback streams (growing files) of most Interplay | MAM

proxy formats. (Variable speed playback reduces the number of streams per server by ~50%)

• Concurrently transcode ~50 alternate proxy formats to FLV. Because the transcode

process is a one-time hit per asset, this usually translates to ~120 concurrent users per server.

• Serve ~4000 h.264 proxy files (provided there is enough outbound network connectivity

and proxy storage disk I/O).

14.1 General Project Information

14.2 Formats, Workflows, & Expected Peak Load

• Process ~30 video analysis requests.

If you are requesting a consultation with IME product management for determining how many servers are required for an Interplay | MAM deployment, please request the questionnaire (an .xls file) directly. The questions in the questionnaire cover two categories:

• General Project Information

• Formats, Workflows, and Expected Peak Load

Identify the customer and briefly describe the project.

1. Does the customer require redundancy for the playback service?

This is separate from adding servers to accommodate capacity.

2. Does the customer want to procure a server from a specific vendor?

If so, please attach a detailed specification of the target server with this questionnaire.

3. On which storage solution and/or filesystem are the proxies stored?

If the storage system is proprietary, please indicate the standard filesystem gateway through which MCS will mount it (e.g., Omneon MediaGrid via CIFS).

MediaCentral Platform Services 2.3 Hardware Guide

For each registered browse proxy format, answer the following questions:

1. What is the proxy format?

Please indicate the file container and the codecs used for video and audio essences.

2. What is the expected peak of concurrent streams for this format?

For example, there may be 100 users, but only 25 users at any given time will be working with assets using this proxy format.

3. Do users of this format require playback of growing files?

Only MPEG-1 and Sony XDCAM Proxy formats are supported for this workflow.

4. How many streams of variable speed playback are required?

Interplay | MAM can provision permission to use variable speed playback. As it is a CPU intensive playback method, it should only be provisioned to users who really need it.

5. What is the maximum video image resolution?

For example, 720x406 pixels.

6. What is the maximum proxy bit rate?

For example, 3.0 Mbps.

MediaCentral Platform Services 2.3 Hardware Guide

15 Appendix A: HP DL360p Gen8 Hardware Requirements

Item

Qty

Part Number

Component

Description

1 1 666532-B21

Product

HP ProLiant DL360p Gen8 10-SFF

2 1 712726-L21

Processors

HP DL360p Gen8 Intel Xeon E5-2650 V2

3 1 712726-B21

HP DL360 Gen8 E5-2650 V2 (2.6GHz/8-

4 8 731761-B21

Memory*

HP 8GB (1x8GB) Single Rank x4 PC3-

5 --

Storage controller**

HP Embedded P420i Smart Array

6 --

Drive cage

HP 10-Bay Small Form Factor Drive

7 2 652745-B21

hard drive &

HP 500GB 6G SAS 7.2K rpm SFF (2.5in)

8 --

RAID setting

None. Do not specify a RAID setting

9 631679-B21

Storage Controller

HP 1GB P-series Smart Array Flash

10 684217-B21

FlexibleLOM

HP Ethernet 1GbE 4-port 366FLR

11 2 512327-B21

Power Supply

HP 750W Common Slot Gold Hot Power

12 2 AF556A

Power Cord

HP C13 - Nema 5-15P US/CA 110V

13 1 663201-B21

Rail Kit

HP 1U Small Form Factor Ball Bearing

First of all, you must provision at least the following server specification.

Configure-to-order (CTO) Server

(2.6GHz/8-core/20MB/95W) FIO (Factory Installation Option) Processor Kit (Ivy Bridge)

core/20MB/95W) Processor Kit (Ivy Bridge)

14900R (DDR3-1866) Registered CAS13 Memory Kit

2nd hard drive

Upgrade

options/upgrades***

controller

Cage

SC Midline 1 yr Warranty Hard Drive

when ordering. RAID is configured during software installation.

Backed Write Cache (FBWC)

(FlexibleLOM form factor) FIO (Factory Installed Option) adapter

Supply Kit

10Amp 1.83m Power Cord

Gen8 Rail Kit

MediaCentral Platform Services 2.3 Hardware Guide

Item

Qty

Part Number

Component

Description

*To configure 8x8GB RAM (for a total of 64GB RAM), HP online server configuration requires the following

Item

Qty

Part Number

Component

Description

2 1 654772-L21

Processors

HP DL360p Intel Xeon Gen8 E5-2650

3 1 654772-B21

HP DL360p Gen8 E5-2650

4 8 647899-B21

Memory

HP 8GB (1x8GB) Single Rank x4 PC3-12800

selection (select once for each of the two CPUs):

HP 32GB (4x8GB) Single Rank x4 PC3-14900R (DDR3-1866) Registered CAS-13 Memory Kit

Before provisioning memory, see “Additional Note on Item #4

**Factory integrated models ship with a P420i Smart Array controller. HP 1GB P-series Smart Array Flash Backed Write Cache (FWBC) upgrade option must be added.

***For non-ISIS connections, you can substitute the following adapter instead:

HP Ethernet 1GbE 4-port 331FLR (FlexibleLOM form factor) FIO (Factory Installation Option) Adapter (part # 684208-B21)

Note on Items #2 & #3— As of August 2013 the HP ProLiant DL360P Gen8 server also ships with the Intel® Xeon® E5-2650 v2 (Ivy Bridge) processor. Previously it shipped with the E5-2650 Sandy Bridge based processor. The part numbers for the previous generation of processor and related memory are provided the table below. Both processors are supported.

”, below.

(2.0GHz/8-core/20MB/95W) FIO (Factory Installation Option) Processor Kit (Sandy Bridge)

(2.0GHz/8-core/20MB/95W) Processor Kit (Sandy Bridge)

(DDR3-1600) Reg CAS-11 Memory Kit

Note on Item #4—The server must be configured with 8x8GB RAM DIMMs. Some clusters in the field have been found with nodes using different configurations of 8 and 4 GB DIMMs in different configurations, which can adversely affect system synchronization required for stable playback.

Note on Item #7—The DL360p supports up to 8 internal drives. 2 drives are required for the operating system (in a RAID 1 configuration). In some cases, additional drives may be required for file caching. See

“Caching and HDD Requirements” on page 19.

366FLR FIO adapter instead. See also ”Optional Items for Connection to ISIS“ on page 21

15.1 Complete List of Supported CPUs

Part Number

Description

712745-B21

HP DL360p Gen8 Intel Xeon E5-2697v2 (2.7 GHz/12-core/30MB/130 W)

712771-B21

HP DL360p Gen8 Intel Xeon E5-2695v2 (2.4 GHz/12-core/30MB/115 W)

712504-B21

HP DL360p Gen8 Intel Xeon E5-2690v2 (3.0 GHz/10-core/25MB/130 W)

712506-B21

HP DL360p Gen8 Intel Xeon E5-2680v2 (2.8 GHz/10-core/25MB/115 W)

712508-B21

HP DL360p Gen8 Intel Xeon E5-2670v2 (2.5 GHz/10-core/25MB/115 W)

712773-B21

HP DL360p Gen8 Intel Xeon E5-2667v2 (3.3 GHz/8-core/25MB/130 W)

712724-B21

HP DL360p Gen8 Intel Xeon E5-2660v2 (2.2 GHz/10-core/25MB/95 W)

712726-B21

HP DL360p Gen8 Intel Xeon E5-2650v2 (2.6 GHz/8-core/20MB/95 W)

Part Number

Description

664011-B21

HP DL360p Gen8 Intel® Xeon® E5-2690 (2.9GHz/8-core/20MB/135W)

654789-B21

HP DL360p Gen8 Intel® Xeon® E5-2680 (2.7GHz/8-core/20MB/130W)

654786-B21

HP DL360p Gen8 Intel® Xeon® E5-2670 (2.6GHz/8-core/20MB/115W)

654791-B21

HP DL360p Gen8 Intel® Xeon® E5-2667 (2.9GHz/6-core/15MB/130W)

666029-B21

HP DL360p Gen8 Intel® Xeon® E5-2665 (2.4GHz/8-core/20MB/115W)

654784-B21

HP DL360p Gen8 Intel® Xeon® E5-2660 (2.2GHz/8-core/20MB/95W)

654772-B21

HP DL360p Gen8 Intel® Xeon® E5-2650 (2.0GHz/8-core/20MB/95W)

The following is the complete list of E5-2600 V2 series processors supported for MCS.

The following is the complete list of E5-2600 series processors supported for MCS.

MediaCentral Platform Services 2.3 Hardware Guide

16 Copyright and Disclaimer

Product specifications are subject to change wi thout notice and do not represent a commitment o n the part of Avid Technology, Inc.

The software described i n this document is furnished under a license agreement. You can obtain a copy of tha t license by visiting Avid's Web site at www.avi d.com.

The terms of that license are also available in the product in the same directory as the software. The software may not be reverse assembled and ma y be used or

copied only in accordance with the terms of the license agree ment. It is against the law to copy the software on any medium except as specifically allowed in the

license agreement.

No part of th is document may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopyi ng and recording, for an y

purpose without the express written permission of Avid Technology, Inc.

Attn. Government User(s). Restricted Rights Legend

U.S. GOVERNMENT RESTRICTED RIGHTS. This Software and its documentation are “commercial computer software” or “commercial computer software

documentatio n.” In the event that such Software or documenta tion is acquired by or on behalf of a unit or agency of the U.S. Government, all rights with respect to

this Software and docume ntation are subject to the terms of the License A greement, pursuant to FAR §12.212(a) and/or DFARS §227.7202-1(a), as applicable.

Trademarks

Adrenaline, AirSpeed, ALEX, Alienbrain, Archive, Archive II, Assistant Av id, Avid Unity, Avid Unity ISIS, Avid V ideoRAID, CaptureManager, CountDown, Deko,

DekoCast, FastBreak, Flexevent, FXDeko, iNEWS, iNEWS Assign, iNEWSControlAir, Ins tinct, IntelliRender, Intelli-Sat, Intelli-sat Broadcasting Recording Manager,

Interplay, ISIS, IsoSync , LaunchPad, LeaderPlus , ListSync, MachineControl, make manage move | media, Media Composer, NewsCutter, NewsView, OMF, OMF

Interchange, Open Media Framework, Open Media Management, SIDON, SimulPlay, SimulRecord, SPACE, SPACEShift, Sundance Digital, Sundance, Symphony,

Thunder, Tita nsync, Titan, UnityRAID, Video the Web Way, VideoRAID, VideoSPACE, VideoSpin, and Xdeck are either registe red trademarks or trademarks of Avid

Technology, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries.

All other tra demarks con tained herein are the pro perty of their respective owners.

MediaCentral Services 2.3 Hardware Guide• 25 June 2015

• This docume nt is distri buted by Avid in online (electronic) form only, and is not available for purc hase in printed form.

Pinnacle Systems MediaCentral Platform Services - 2.3 User Manual

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual

Important Information

Revision History

About MCS 2.3

Additional Resources

1.1 Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)

1.2 Hewlett-Packard (HP) and Dell

1.2.1 HP ProLiant DL360 Gen9

1.2.2 HP ProLiant DL360p Gen8

1.2.3 HP ProLiant DL380 Gen7

1.2.4 Dell PowerEdge R630

Overview

2.1 What is MCS?

2.2 Buying Hardware for MCS

2.3 Server Requirements at a Glance

Qualified Servers

3.1 HP ProLiant DL360 Gen9

3.2 HP ProLiant DL360p Gen8

3.3 Dell PowerEdge R630

Operating System Requirements

4.1 HP RHEL Support

4.2 Dell RHEL Support

4.3 Direct RHEL Support

4.4 Optional Support

Memory Requirements

5.1 96GB RAM Slot Usage

5.2 128GB RAM Slot Usage

Caching and HDD Requirements

6.1 Media Cache Drive Configuration

Optional Items for Connection to ISIS

Deploying Multiple Servers

8.1 About MCS Video Playback

8.2 Redundancy

8.3 Horizontal Scale

HP DL360 Gen9 Hardware Requirements

9.1 Complete List of Supported CPUs

10 Dell PowerEdge R630 Hardware Requirements

11 Over-Specifying and Under-Specifying the Hardware

11.1 iNEWS-Only MCS 2.3

11.2 MCS 2.3 & iNEWS on the Same Server

12.1 Intel Xeon 2650L V3 CPU

13.1 iNEWS-only Deployments of MediaCentral?

13.2 Deployment and Workflow Assessment

13.3 Media Format and Stream Count Assessment

13.3.1 Intel Xeon 2650L V3 CPU

13.3.2 Ivy Bridge (V2) CPU

13.3.3 Sandy Bridge (non V2) CPU

13.4 Peak Usage Assessment

13.5 Overhead Assessment

13.6 Final Assessment

14 How Many Servers: Interplay | MAM

14.1 General Project Information

14.2 Formats, Workflows, & Expected Peak Load

15 Appendix A: HP DL360p Gen8 Hardware Requirements

15.1 Complete List of Supported CPUs

16 Copyright and Disclaimer