WHAT TO EXPECT
In this article, users will learn how to establish UDP, SRT, multicast, and RIST connections via the Protocol Conversion and Fanout feature on wXcked Eye.
Navigating to the Adaptors tab
The Adaptors Tab is located in the System Management page on wXcked Eye. To learn how to navigate there, please review the wXcked Eye System Management article.
The Protocol Fanout feature enables cloudSwXtch and swXtchBridge components to replicate a single input stream and distribute it to multiple destinations simultaneously. Acting as a versatile protocol converter, it allows a stream arriving in one unicast format (such as SRT) to be "fanned out" to various clients in different formats—including UDP, SRT, RIST, or multicast—depending on the specific requirements of each destination. Note that many adaptors can be added at one time using Flows.
Configuration involves defining Streams and Address names within the Aliases tab, which are then utilized to set up the fanout architecture. Users manage these settings via the wXcked Eye interface, specifically through the System Management page or the Topology Graph, allowing for the seamless establishment of complex unicast and multicast connections.
Key Capabilities
Supported Protocols: UDP, SRT, RIST, and Multicast.
Core Function: One-to-many replication and real-time protocol conversion.
Management: Configured via wXcked Eye (System Management & Topology Graph).
For more information on how these settings assist in the Topology Graph and Topology Table.
Topology Graph/Component Information Panel/Adaptors to see how you can view, add and remove or more adaptors in the Topology Graph.
Protocol Conversion and Fanout Example to see examples of how Protocol Conversion and Fanout works.
wXcked Eye Adaptors (Protocol Fanout) for statistics on one or more adaptors.
The Adaptors page is organized into the following functions:
Add Adaptor
To add an adaptor:
Select "Add Adaptor." Here, a user can select either a cloudSwXtch or a cloudSwXtch Bridge (only if it is installed) as the component.
Then, users can select between three different protocols for their adaptor: UDP, SRT, and RIST (the last two as caller or listener)
Select a direction: Ingress or Egress, and a Stream that can be an already defined Stream, or create a new one.
UDP
Ingress vs. Egress
Differentiating between ingress and egress can be confusing. It is important to imagine it in relation to the component.
Ingress: Data is coming into the component.
Egress: Data is leaving the component.
Selecting UDP under Protocol allows users to add mapping for UDP traffic entering and leaving the cloudSwXtch. Depending on the direction of the data, a user will have to add additional information to set up a successful connection.
UDP Ingress
For Ingress, a user may:
Select one of the Streams created in the Streams tab from the dropdown, and designate a listener Address Port.
By clicking on the New Stream button, users can manually specify a Stream IP, Listener Port, a Stream Port, and an alias name to add one.
By clicking Add, the new adaptor will appear in the list on the Adaptors tab.
UDP Egress
For Egress, a user will set the parameters for fanning out a multicast stream as unicast. To do this, the component would need to select a Stream and target Address from their respective Alias dropdown.
If an Alias was not created prior, they can manually add a New Stream and New Address by entering the appropriate information for both. To create a New Stream, a user will need the Stream IP, Stream Port, and Alias name. Similarly, a New Address would require an Address IP, an Address Port, and an alias Name.
This will allow the component to transmit a multicast stream as unicast to a desired endpoint.
SRT and RIST Caller
To set up SRT or RIST Caller, a user will need to choose what direction they would like their data to flow: Ingress or Egress. Regardless of their choice, both Ingress and Egress require a selection for Stream and Address. These can either be selected from the Alias dropdown (assigned in the Alias tab under Settings) or manually created in the panel.
If users want to manually create a stream and/or an address, they will need to select the "New Stream" and/or "New Address" button(s). This will reveal additional fields necessary for both. For Stream, a user will need to enter a Stream IP, Stream Port, and alias Name. For Address, they will need an Address IP, an Address Port, and an alias Name. This will act as a target Address. It is the source of where the traffic will be coming from outside the component. This information is crucial since it will dictate where the component sends the caller message.
The Options dropdown allows for additional fine-tuning based on the standards of the protocol. The selection of an option will open another field.
After filling out all the required fields, select "Add." The component will then call out to the target source and receive multicast traffic through the designated address.
For Egress, the user will be specifying the target Address for an endpoint to receive an SRT or RIST stream from the component. The component will then call the Destination or target Address to establish a connection before transmitting the stream.
SRT and RIST Listener
Similar to the SRT or RIST Caller panel, the Listener requires the user to specify the direction of their data flow: Ingress or Egress. However, what differs is that the SRT or RIST Listener is essentially "listening" for any incoming messages from endpoints ready to send/receive SRT or RIST data. This method of transmission is considered to be more user-friendly since a user will not have to worry about pointing to a specific IP address. Instead, it places the burden of targeting on the endpoint.
Both Ingress and Egress will require a user to select a multicast Stream from the Alias dropdown. Stream Aliases are assigned in the Alias tab under Settings. Alternatively, users can enter a new Stream by selecting the New Stream button and entering the following information: Stream IP, Stream Port, and alias Name. In addition to the Stream, a user will also need to specify an Address Port where an endpoint can send data.
The Options dropdown allows for additional fine-tuning based on the standards of the protocol. The selection of an option will open another field.
For Ingress, once the configuration is complete, the component will now listen for producers of the protocol (SRT or RIST) traffic who connect to the port. When a connection has been established, the component will begin ingesting data.
As in the Egress case, the component is listening for endpoints that are trying to receive SRT or RIST data. From there, depending on the user's bandwidth, they can create up to 32 Listener ports from which an endpoint can connect to the stream. By setting the necessary parameters, a consumer will then be able to locate a target port and begin streaming data from the component.
PLEASE NOTE
For a walkthrough on configuring Protocol Conversion and Fanout in wXcked Eye, see the Protocol Conversion and Fanout Example article.
Edit Adaptor
Only Adaptor
When editing an Adaptor Options can be edited at this time, if a IP or Port or some other data is incorrect you must remove and re-add the adaptor or use Flows to add Adaptors.
Select the edit button on the Adaptor to be edited.
The Adaptors Edit Options dialog will open.
Add Options as desired.
Select Save. The adaptor has been edited.
Remove Adaptor
Note that some adaptors the Remove button is greyed out. This is because they were added using flows. To remove the ones added using flows see Editing a Flow to edit destinations (add or remove them) or Deleting a Flow to delete all the adaptors added via a particular Flow.
To remove a Adaptor that was added via Adaptors
Select the remove button on the Adaptor to be removed.
A confirmation box will display.
Select Confirm.