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System Requirements - Load Baance Server

Below is a rough guideline for server hardware requirements for a load balance server

Assumptions:

  • Stream Bitrate: We’ll assume each “complete” stream (all ABR renditions combined) averages about 8 Mbps (e.g. 480p at ~1.5 Mbps, 720p at ~2.5 Mbps, plus 1080p at ~4 Mbps).
  • Connection Handling: The load balancer maintains TCP/HTTP connections for streaming protocols (or even raw RTMP, if used) and may perform SSL/TLS termination.
  • Overhead: Always allow extra headroom for protocol overhead, bursty traffic, and connection management.

For 10 Concurrent Egress Streams

  • CPU:
    • 2 cores

    • For basic packet forwarding and connection handling (even with SSL termination), a modern dual‑core CPU should suffice.

  • RAM:
    • 4 GB minimum (8 GB recommended)

    • To handle OS buffers, connection tracking, and any light processing.

  • Network:
    • 1 Gbps NIC

    • Estimated Egress Throughput: 10 × 8 Mbps ≈ 80 Mbps
    • A 1 Gbps link provides ample headroom.

For 100 Concurrent Egress Streams

  • CPU:
    • 4–8 cores

    • More cores help manage a higher number of concurrent connections, especially if SSL termination or deeper packet inspection is involved.

  • RAM:
    • 8 GB minimum (16 GB recommended)

    • Additional memory is useful for a larger connection table and buffering.

  • Network:
    • 1 Gbps NIC might be borderline

    • Estimated Egress Throughput: 100 × 8 Mbps ≈ 800 Mbps
    • Recommendation: Use a 10 Gbps NIC or dual 1 Gbps NICs (bonded) to comfortably handle bursts and protocol overhead.

For 1,000 Concurrent Egress Streams

Important:
Handling 1,000 concurrent streams (totaling around 8 Gbps egress) is a high-demand scenario. Often, a single load balancer at this scale is implemented as part of a distributed architecture with clustering or specialized hardware.

  • CPU:
    • 16–32 cores

    • A high core count is needed to manage thousands of simultaneous connections and potential SSL termination or other processing tasks.

  • RAM:
    • 16 GB minimum (32 GB recommended)

    • To efficiently manage a large connection table and OS/network buffers.

  • Network:
    • High‑throughput NIC(s):

    • Estimated Egress Throughput: 1,000 × 8 Mbps ≈ 8 Gbps
    • Recommendation: At least a 10 Gbps NIC, though depending on burstiness and protocol overhead, you might consider aggregated NICs or a 40 Gbps solution to ensure stability.

Additional Considerations

  • Distributed Architecture:
    For 1,000+ streams, consider deploying multiple load balancers behind a front‑end DNS or hardware load balancing solution to spread the traffic and provide redundancy.

  • Monitoring & Scalability:
    Always plan for some extra headroom to handle traffic spikes, and monitor your system closely to adjust resource allocation as needed.

These guidelines provide a starting point to help you size your hardware. Actual requirements can vary significantly depending on your exact situation.

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