Deployment & Best Practices

Guidelines for optimal deployment and operation of the Encora Stream platform.

Table of contents

1. General Deployment Guidelines
   1. Pre-Deployment Planning
   2. Deployment Workflow
2. Pre-Deployment Checklist
3. Input Stream Management
   1. Configuration Best Practices
   2. Network Considerations
4. Transcoder Configuration
   1. ABR Profile Selection
   2. Rendition Configuration
   3. Resource Management
5. Packager Optimization
   1. Segment Configuration
   2. DRM Configuration
   3. Monitoring
   4. Distribution
6. System Monitoring
   1. Dashboard Monitoring
   2. Performance Metrics
   3. Logging and Analysis
   4. Change Management
   5. Disaster Recovery
7. Network and Infrastructure
   1. Bandwidth Planning
   2. CDN Integration
   3. Security Considerations
8. Operational Excellence
   1. Standard Operating Procedures
   2. Change Management
   3. Capacity Planning
   4. Documentation
9. Performance Optimization Tips
   1. Transcoding Efficiency
   2. Packaging Efficiency
   3. Delivery Optimization
   4. Cost Optimization
10. Troubleshooting Approach
    1. Systematic Methodology
    2. Escalation Procedures
11. Related Documentation

General Deployment Guidelines

Pre-Deployment Planning

Before deploying your streaming infrastructure:

• Ensure all input streams are properly configured before deployment
• Verify transcoder and packager associations and dependencies
• Validate DRM settings if encryption is required
• Test connectivity to all origin servers before production
• Monitor deployment status during initial rollout
• Maintain records of deployment versions and dates
• Plan capacity based on content and audience size
• Implement redundancy for critical components
• Set up monitoring and alerting for all components

Deployment Workflow

Recommended Order:

1. Configure Servers: Set up physical or virtual infrastructure
2. Create Input Streams: Register video sources
3. Deploy Transcoders: Configure ABR profiles and renditions
4. Set Up Packagers: Create AES, DASH, and/or HLS packagers
5. Deploy Origins: Enable content delivery
6. Configure CDN: Integrate with content delivery network
7. Test End-to-End: Verify playback on target devices
8. Monitor Performance: Track metrics and adjust as needed

Pre-Deployment Checklist

Use this checklist before launching new streams or making significant changes:

Input Stream Management

Configuration Best Practices

Naming and Organization:

• Use descriptive, identifiable channel names for easy management
• Maintain unique Content IDs across all channels for data integrity
• Include environment indicators (prod, staging, test) in names
• Document purpose and ownership of each stream

Verification:

• Verify source URL availability before registration
• Test input connectivity in staging environment first
• Use ffprobe to verify stream characteristics
• Test with VLC player for quick validation

Monitoring:

• Monitor input stream health continuously
• Set up alerts for input stream failures
• Track bitrate and quality metrics
• Document all critical source information

Redundancy:

• Establish fallback input streams for critical content
• Maintain secondary encoders where possible
• Document failover procedures
• Test redundancy regularly

Documentation:

• Maintain input source contact information
• Review and update input addresses regularly
• Archive historical configuration changes
• Document network routing requirements

Network Considerations

UDP Multicast:

• Verify VLAN tagging and multicast routing
• Test multicast group accessibility
• Document network requirements
• Coordinate with network team

RTMP:

• Ensure firewall rules allow RTMP traffic
• Test authentication if required
• Monitor connection stability
• Plan for reconnection logic

Transcoder Configuration

ABR Profile Selection

Profile Matching:

• Select appropriate ABR profiles for target audience demographics
• Consider viewer bandwidth capabilities
• Match profiles to content type (sports, movies, news)
• Test profiles with representative content

Quality vs Bandwidth:

• Don’t over-provision quality for bandwidth-limited viewers
• Balance quality with server resources
• Consider mobile vs desktop viewers
• Implement quality tiers for different subscriber levels

Testing:

• Test output quality before production deployment
• Verify playback on target devices
• Check adaptive switching behavior
• Validate all rendition qualities

Rendition Configuration

Optimization:

• Disable unused renditions to save resources
• Match renditions to viewer demographics
• Include adequate low-bandwidth options
• Provide ultra-high quality for premium tiers

Mobile-First Strategy:

• Consider mobile-first strategies for broad audiences
• Include 240p and 360p for limited bandwidth
• Test on actual mobile networks (3G, 4G, 5G)
• Optimize for battery consumption

Consistency:

• Use consistent naming conventions for transcoders
• Document rendition rationale
• Maintain similar profiles across content types
• Review and update periodically

Resource Management

Server Allocation:

• Balance quality settings with available CPU
• Monitor transcoder resource utilization regularly
• Use hardware acceleration where available
• Consider GPU-accelerated transcoding for scale

Load Distribution:

• Distribute load across multiple servers
• Use dedicated servers for high-profile content
• Implement automated load balancing
• Plan capacity for peak events

Performance:

• Monitor and optimize transcoding efficiency
• Track processing latency
• Identify bottlenecks early
• Schedule maintenance during low-traffic periods

Packager Optimization

Segment Configuration

Segment Duration:

Best Practices:

• Configure appropriate segment and buffer durations for target devices
• Test segment duration impact on startup time
• Consider network conditions of target audience
• Balance latency requirements with stability

DRM Configuration

When to Enable:

• Enable DRM protection for premium and copyrighted content
• Required for licensed content distribution
• Necessary for content provider agreements
• Critical for preventing unauthorized redistribution

Security Practices:

• Regularly rotate DRM keys for security compliance
• Monitor DRM provider service availability
• Test license acquisition regularly
• Document DRM configuration thoroughly

Testing:

• Test playback across all target devices before production
• Verify license acquisition works correctly
• Test different DRM scenarios (concurrent streams, offline)
• Monitor license server performance

Monitoring

Key Metrics:

• Monitor packager performance metrics continuously
• Track segment generation rate and timing
• Monitor manifest generation times
• Watch for packaging errors

Storage:

• Validate multi-bitrate switching in player tests
• Monitor segment delivery times
• Check disk space usage
• Review segment retention policies

Distribution

Geographic Considerations:

• Implement geographic distribution for packagers
• Deploy near major viewer populations
• Use CDN origin shields to reduce packager load
• Consider regulatory requirements (data residency)

Caching:

• Implement segment caching strategies
• Use CDN effectively to reduce origin load
• Configure appropriate cache TTLs
• Monitor cache hit rates

System Monitoring

Dashboard Monitoring

Regular Reviews:

• Review dashboard status regularly (ideally continuously)
• Check all components: green (good), yellow (warning), red (critical)
• Investigate warnings before they become critical
• Maintain status history for trend analysis

Alert Configuration:

• Set up alerts for failed components and critical events
• Configure multiple notification channels (email, SMS, PagerDuty)
• Define escalation procedures
• Test alert delivery regularly

Performance Metrics

Service Level Objectives:

• Maintain service uptime targets and SLA compliance
• Define acceptable latency limits
• Set quality thresholds
• Track availability metrics

Resource Utilization:

• Monitor bandwidth utilization and CDN costs
• Track server CPU and memory usage
• Monitor disk I/O performance
• Review network traffic patterns

Quality Monitoring:

• Track player errors and quality metrics
• Monitor buffering rates
• Track startup times
• Review video quality scores

Logging and Analysis

Log Management:

• Implement logging for troubleshooting and analysis
• Centralize logs from all components
• Set up log rotation and retention
• Use structured logging formats

Analysis:

• Use metrics to forecast capacity needs
• Identify usage patterns and trends
• Perform root cause analysis on incidents
• Generate regular performance reports

Change Management

Documentation:

• Document all configuration changes for audit trails
• Use version control for configurations
• Maintain change logs
• Track who made what changes when

Review Process:

• Conduct regular system audits and performance reviews
• Review capacity and performance quarterly
• Assess security posture regularly
• Update documentation continuously

Disaster Recovery

Testing:

• Conduct regular disaster recovery testing
• Test backup and restore procedures
• Verify failover mechanisms
• Document recovery procedures

Planning:

• Define Recovery Time Objectives (RTO)
• Define Recovery Point Objectives (RPO)
• Maintain off-site backups of critical configurations
• Train team on emergency procedures

Network and Infrastructure

Bandwidth Planning

Calculation:

• Sum of all stream bitrates
• Multiply by expected concurrent viewers
• Add 20-30% overhead for peaks
• Include monitoring and management traffic

Monitoring:

• Track actual vs planned bandwidth usage
• Identify peak usage times
• Plan capacity for special events
• Review CDN vs direct delivery costs

CDN Integration

Configuration:

• Use CDN for all production traffic
• Configure origin shields to reduce origin load
• Set appropriate cache policies
• Implement geo-blocking if required

Optimization:

• Monitor CDN performance metrics
• Review cache hit rates
• Optimize origin fetch patterns
• Use multiple CDN providers for redundancy

Security Considerations

Access Control:

• Restrict administrative access to authorized personnel
• Use strong authentication mechanisms
• Implement IP whitelisting where appropriate
• Audit access regularly

Content Protection:

• Use HTTPS for all content delivery
• Implement DRM for premium content
• Use token authentication for sensitive content
• Monitor for unauthorized access

Server Security:

• Keep all systems patched and updated
• Use firewalls to restrict unnecessary access
• Monitor for security vulnerabilities
• Conduct security audits regularly

Operational Excellence

Standard Operating Procedures

Daily Operations:

• Check system dashboard for any red/yellow indicators
• Review overnight logs and alerts
• Verify all scheduled content is streaming
• Monitor viewer complaints and issues

Weekly Operations:

• Review capacity utilization trends
• Check for software updates
• Review backup procedures
• Clean up old or unused configurations

Monthly Operations:

• Conduct performance reviews
• Update documentation
• Review and test disaster recovery plans
• Analyze cost and efficiency metrics

Change Management

Process:

1. Document proposed change
2. Assess impact and risks
3. Test in staging environment
4. Schedule during maintenance window
5. Implement with rollback plan ready
6. Monitor and verify success
7. Document results

Capacity Planning

Regular Reviews:

• Forecast growth based on business plans
• Monitor resource usage trends
• Plan infrastructure expansion proactively
• Budget for capacity increases

Scaling Strategy:

• Define scaling triggers (CPU, bandwidth, viewers)
• Plan vertical vs horizontal scaling
• Consider cloud elasticity for peak events
• Test scaling procedures before needed

Documentation

Maintain Documentation For:

• System architecture and topology
• Configuration of all components
• Network diagrams and IP addressing
• Contact information for support
• Standard operating procedures
• Troubleshooting guides
• Change history

Performance Optimization Tips

Transcoding Efficiency

• Use hardware acceleration (GPU) when available
• Optimize encoder presets for speed vs quality
• Disable unused features and renditions
• Monitor and tune based on actual load

Packaging Efficiency

• Use appropriate segment durations
• Minimize packager count through consolidation
• Use fast storage for media directories
• Monitor disk I/O and optimize accordingly

Delivery Optimization

• Implement CDN with strategic edge locations
• Use HTTP/2 for improved performance
• Enable compression where applicable
• Monitor end-user experience metrics

Cost Optimization

• Right-size server resources
• Use reserved instances for predictable loads
• Optimize CDN usage and caching
• Review and eliminate unused resources

Troubleshooting Approach

Systematic Methodology

1. Identify the Issue: What is the symptom?
2. Determine Scope: Single stream or multiple? Specific device or all?
3. Check Dashboard: Review component status
4. Review Logs: Look for error messages
5. Test Components: Verify each component individually
6. Isolate Cause: Input, transcoding, packaging, or delivery?
7. Apply Fix: Implement appropriate resolution
8. Verify Resolution: Test that issue is resolved
9. Document: Record issue and solution
10. Prevent Recurrence: Implement monitoring or process changes

Escalation Procedures

When to Escalate:

• Issue persists after standard troubleshooting
• Multiple components affected
• Business-critical impact
• Security incident
• Unknown or complex root cause

Escalation Process:

1. Document all troubleshooting steps taken
2. Gather relevant logs and screenshots
3. Contact appropriate support tier
4. Provide complete information
5. Stay available for follow-up

Related Documentation

• Input Streams - Configure source streams
• Transcoders - Set up transcoding
• Packagers - Configure stream packaging
• Origin Servers - Deploy content delivery
• Troubleshooting - Resolve common issues