Resource allocation examples

The examples below are designed to give you an idea of how the Hardware resource allocation rules apply as the capabilities of the Pexip Infinity platform are extended in the various scenarios:

In each of these cases, the hardware capacity requirements are described in terms of the HD resources required for a connection. A connection can be a call or presentation from an endpoint to a Virtual Meeting Room or Virtual Auditorium, a backplane between Transcoding Conferencing Nodes, or a call into or out of the Infinity Gateway. In this context, a connection is analogous to a port. Note that a Skype for Business client may require two connections (one for the video call, and one for presentation content).

All of these examples are based around using the default Maximum call quality of HD. A Full HD connection typically uses twice the resource of a HD connection and a standard definition SD connection typically uses half the resource. WebRTC connections are assumed to be using the VP9 codec. VP9 calls consume around 1.25 times the resource for calls for main video (i.e. 1.25 HD resources for 720p, and 2.5 HD for 1080p).

All of the examples assume that the endpoints are connecting directly to Transcoding Conferencing Nodes. However, the Teams examples also show the effect of routing those calls via a Proxying Edge Node to the Teams Connector. (When a connection is proxied via a Proxying Edge Node, the proxying node also consumes connection resources in order to forward the media streams on to a Transcoding Conferencing Node. A transcoding node always consumes the same amount of connection resources regardless of whether it has a direct connection to an endpoint, or it is receiving the media streams via a proxying node.)

Virtual Meeting Rooms

Single non-distributed VMR

Pexip Infinity requires 4.25 HD resources. 3.25 HD resources are required by the endpoints (the two standards-based endpoints each use 1 HD resource and the WebRTC VP9 client uses 1.25 HD), and 1 HD resource is reserved by the backplane.

  • A presentation is then sent from a standards-based endpoint (see diagram).

Pexip Infinity then typically uses an extra 0.5 HD resource for each standards-based or WebRTC endpoint that is receiving the presentation, meaning the total resources used on Node 1 is now 5.25 HD.

The conference uses 3 concurrent call licenses.

Single distributed VMR (standards-based, WebRTC and SfB endpoints)

Pexip Infinity requires 3.25 HD resources on Node 1 (2.25 for the connected participants, and 1 for the backplane), and 2 HD resources on Node 2, (1 for the connected participant, and 1 for the backplane).

  • A presentation is then sent from the standards-based endpoint (see diagram).

Pexip Infinity uses an extra 0.5 HD resource on Node 1 for the WebRTC client to receive presentation, meaning the total resources used on Node 1 is now 3.75 HD. And it requires 1 additional HD resource on Node 2 for the SfB client to receive presentation, so the total resources used on Node 2 is now 3 HD.

The conference uses 3 concurrent call licenses.

Distributed VMR — 3 nodes

Pexip Infinity requires 2.25 HD resources on node 1 (1.25 for the WebRTC participant, and 1 for the backplane) and 2 HD resources on nodes 2 and 3 (1 for the connected participants, and 1 for the backplane).

  • The WebRTC participant then shares their screen (see diagram).

Pexip Infinity requires no additional resources on Node 1 for the WebRTC endpoint to send presentation, but does require 1 additional HD resource on Node 2 for the SfB client to receive presentation, and 0.5 HD additional HD resource on Node 3 for the endpoint to receive presentation, so the total resources used on Node 1 is still 2.25 HD, Node 2 is now 3 HD and Node 3 is now 2.5 HD.

The conference uses 3 concurrent call licenses.

Gateway calls to Microsoft Teams

Single non-distributed gateway call (standards-based endpoint to Teams)

  • We have one standards-based endpoint connecting via a single transcoding node to a Microsoft Teams meeting via the Teams Connector.
  • Two Teams clients are also connected to the meeting.
  • Each endpoint uses HD video and audio.

Pexip Infinity requires 2.5 HD resources. The standards-based endpoint uses 1 HD resource, and the backplane connection to the Teams Connector uses 1.5 HD resources.

  • A presentation is then sent from the standards-based endpoint (see diagram).

Pexip Infinity would typically use an extra 0.5 HD resource on the Teams backplane connection for the Microsoft Teams meeting to receive presentation. If one of the Teams clients sent presentation content it would instead typically use an extra 0.5 HD resource for the standards-based endpoint to receive presentation.

The call uses 2 concurrent call licenses in both cases.

Single gateway call via Proxying Edge Node (standards-based endpoint to Teams)

  • There is a proxying node in location A and a transcoding node in location B.
  • A gateway call is placed from a standards-based endpoint connected to the transcoding node to a Microsoft Teams meeting. The call is routed via the proxying node and the Teams Connector.
  • Two Teams clients are also connected to the meeting.
  • Each endpoint uses HD video and audio.

Pexip Infinity requires 0.2 HD resources on the proxying node, and 2.5 HD resources on the transcoding node (1 for the standards-based endpoint and 1.5 for the backplane connection).

  • A presentation is then sent from the standards-based endpoint (see diagram).

Pexip Infinity would typically use an extra 0.5 HD resource on the Teams backplane connection for the Microsoft Teams meeting to receive presentation. If one of the Teams clients sent presentation content it would instead typically use an extra 0.5 HD resource for the standards-based endpoint to receive presentation.

The call uses 2 concurrent call licenses in both cases.

Multiple distributed gateway calls via Proxying Edge Node (mixed endpoints to same Teams meeting)

  • There is a proxying node in location A and a transcoding node in location B.
  • Two gateway calls are placed from endpoints connected to the transcoding node to a Microsoft Teams meeting. One endpoint is a standards-based endpoint and the other is a Skype for Business client. Both calls are routed via the proxying node and the Teams Connector.
  • Two Teams clients are also connected to the Microsoft Teams meeting.
  • Each endpoint uses HD video and audio.

Pexip Infinity requires 0.4 HD resources on the proxying node and 5 HD resources on the transcoding node (the standards-based endpoint requires 1 for its connection to the gateway, and 1.5 for the backplane; the Skype for Business client requires 1 for its connection to the gateway, and 1.5 for the backplane) (see diagram above).

  • A presentation is then sent from the standards-based endpoint (see diagram below).

Pexip Infinity would typically use an extra 0.5 HD resource on the Teams backplane connection for the Microsoft Teams meeting to receive presentation. The Skype for Business client requires 1 additional HD resource on the transcoding node to receive presentation.

* WebRTC connections are assumed to be using the VP9 codec. VP9 calls consume around 1.25 times the resource for calls for main video (i.e. 1.25 HD resources for 720p, and 2.5 HD for 1080p).

Gateway calls to Google Meet

Single non-distributed gateway call (standards-based endpoint to Google Meet)

  • We have one standards-based endpoint connecting via a single node in a single location to a Google Meet meeting.
  • Two Google Meet clients are also connected to the meeting.
  • Each endpoint uses HD video and audio.

Pexip Infinity requires 2 HD resources. The standards-based endpoint uses 1 HD resource. The connection to Google Meet uses 1 HD resource (it uses VP8).

  • A presentation is then sent from the standards-based endpoint (see diagram).

Pexip Infinity requires an additional 1 HD resource for Google Meet to receive presentation. However, no additional resources are required on the Google Meet leg if presentation content is sent from Google Meet, but 0.5 HD of additional resource would typically be required for each endpoint receiving presentation.

The call uses 2 concurrent call licenses in both cases.

Single distributed gateway call (standards-based endpoint to Google Meet)

  • There are two Conferencing Nodes in two different system locations.
  • A gateway call is placed from a standards-based endpoint connected via node 2 to a Google Meet meeting connected via node 1.
  • Two Google Meet clients are also connected to the meeting.
  • Each endpoint uses HD video and audio.

Pexip Infinity requires 2 HD resources on node 1 (1 for the connection to Google Meet and 1 for the backplane), and 2 HD resources on node 2 (1 for the standards-based endpoint and 1 for the backplane), so 4 HD resources in total.

  • A presentation is then sent from the standards-based endpoint (see diagram).

Pexip Infinity requires an additional 1 HD resource for Google Meet to receive presentation. However, no additional resources are required on the Google Meet leg if presentation content is sent from Google Meet, but 0.5 HD of additional resource would typically be required for each endpoint receiving presentation.

The call uses 2 concurrent call licenses in both cases.

Multiple distributed gateway calls (mixed endpoints to Google Meet)

  • There are two Conferencing Nodes in two different system locations.
  • Two gateway calls are placed to the same Google Meet meeting connected via node 1: one from a standards-based endpoint connected via node 2, and one from a Skype for Business client also connected via node 2.
  • Two Google Meet clients are also connected to the meeting.
  • Each endpoint uses HD video and audio.

Pexip Infinity requires 4 HD resources on node 1 (each of the 2 gateway calls requires 1 HD for the connection to Google Meet and 1 for the backplane). It also requires 4 HD resources on node 2 (the standards-based endpoint requires 1 for its connection to the gateway, and 1 for the gateway's backplane; the Skype for Business client requires 1 for its connection to the gateway, and 1 for the gateway's backplane), so 8 HD resources in total (see diagram above).

  • A presentation is then sent from the standards-based endpoint (see diagram below).

Pexip Infinity requires an additional 1 HD resource on node 1 to send the presentation to Google Meet, but does not require additional resources on the other connection that is receiving the presentation from Google Meet. The Skype for Business client requires 1 additional HD resource on node 2 to receive presentation, so 10 HD resources in total across the two nodes.