Network Hardware User Manual

Reflecting from VBrick Appliances

This section provides more information about how to use VBrick appliances in reflecting

applications. For more about the specific configuration settings on the VBrick, see

Configuration: Encoder

on page 23 and Configuration: Reflector on page 57.

A VBrick Reflector can reflect an HTTP Push from a VBrick Encoder, a VBrick Reflector, or

Microsoft Encoder or it can pull an HTTP stream from a Microsoft Server, a Microsoft

Encoder, a VBrick Encoder, or a VBrick Reflector. The VBrick Reflector supports a variety

of destinations including multicast, Served HTTP, Served RTSP, and HTTP Push—all at the

same time. Each VBrick Reflector supports a single pull or push source for the Windows

Media stream. Note that only one source can be active at a time for a given Reflector and the

same source stream is reflected to each of the enabled destinations. The reflector source

option is currently available on single encoder and standalone VBrick reflector models. In all

cases the reflector source connects to the Slot2 destinations and the Slot1 encoder features

are not affected. For example, in the VBrick Encoder/Reflector model, the Slot1 multicast

can be sending an encoded stream at the same time the Slot2 multicast is sending a reflected

stream. Note that the reflector always sends exactly what is received. For this reason, there

are no video or audio configuration fields on the reflector configuration pages nor do the

destination pages let you select different video and audio rates.

Figure 2. WM Appliance Encoder/Reflector

Push Reflecting

For push reflecting, there are basically two steps to starting a reflection. First you configure a

reflector to receive the push and then you configure an encoder to initiate a push to the

reflector. VBrick Appliances support up to 25 concurrent pushes, so many destinations (any

mixture of VBrick Reflectors and Microsoft or Real Helix Servers) can receive the push at the

same time and each of the servers or VBrick Reflectors can then reflect the stream using any

or all of their supported protocols. This multiple push feature is unique to VBrick and is

useful for stream distribution from a single encoder in a central office to many remote offices

over WANs because you can push a stream over the low bandwidth WAN links to a reflector

at each of the remote offices, and the reflector can then multicast or unicast to many viewers

on the remote LAN.