Audio Processing
# Audio Processing Server Configuration
This article details the recommended server configuration for robust audio processing within our MediaWiki environment. This setup is geared towards handling tasks like audio file transcoding, noise reduction, and potentially, real-time audio stream handling for future features like podcast integration. This guide is intended for newcomers to our server infrastructure.
Overview
Our audio processing servers are dedicated to handling all audio-related tasks, offloading this workload from the main web servers to ensure optimal performance for readers and editors. These servers operate independently, communicating with the main MediaWiki installation via API calls and a shared network file system (NFS). Understanding the components and their configuration is crucial for maintaining a stable and efficient audio processing pipeline. We currently utilize a clustered approach, with two active servers and one hot standby for redundancy. See Server Redundancy for more details.
Hardware Specifications
The following table outlines the minimum and recommended hardware specifications for our audio processing servers. Exceeding the recommended specifications will improve performance, particularly with larger audio files or more complex processing tasks.
| Component | Minimum Specification | Recommended Specification |
|---|---|---|
| Processor | Intel Xeon E3-1225 v3 (or AMD equivalent) | Intel Xeon E5-2680 v4 (or AMD equivalent) |
| RAM | 8GB DDR3 ECC | 16GB DDR4 ECC |
| Storage (OS) | 256GB SSD | 512GB SSD |
| Storage (Audio Files) | 2TB HDD (7200 RPM) – RAID 1 | 4TB HDD (7200 RPM) – RAID 10 |
| Network Interface | Gigabit Ethernet | 10 Gigabit Ethernet |
These servers should be housed in a climate-controlled Data Center environment with redundant power supplies.
Software Stack
The software stack is built around a Linux distribution (Ubuntu Server 22.04 LTS is our standard) and a suite of open-source audio processing tools. Consistent software versions are vital for compatibility and troubleshooting. All software updates are managed via our Configuration Management system.
The core components are:
- Operating System: Ubuntu Server 22.04 LTS
- Audio Processing Library: FFmpeg (version 5.1 or later)
- Scripting Language: Python 3.9
- Task Queue: Celery (with Redis as the broker)
- Web Server (for API): Nginx
- Redis Configuration: Redis is configured to listen on a private network interface and requires authentication. The configuration file is located at `/etc/redis/redis.conf`.
- Celery Configuration: Celery is configured to use the Redis broker, and the number of worker processes is dynamically adjusted based on server load. The Celery configuration file resides at `/etc/celery/celeryconfig.py`. Important settings include `broker_url` and `concurrency`. See Task Queues for a deeper explanation.
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Configuration Details
Here's a detailed breakdown of key configuration aspects.
FFmpeg Configuration
FFmpeg is the workhorse of our audio processing pipeline. We use a custom configuration file (`/etc/ffmpeg/ffmpeg.conf`) to optimize it for our specific needs. Key settings include:
| Setting | Value | Description |
|---|---|---|
| `-threads` | `8` | Number of threads to use for encoding/decoding. Adjusted based on CPU core count. |
| `-acodec` | `libmp3lame` | Audio codec to use for MP3 encoding. |
| `-ab` | `128k` | Audio bitrate for MP3 encoding. |
| `-af` | `noise_reduction=30` | Apply noise reduction filter. Level adjustable. See Audio Filters. |
| `-vn` | | Disable video processing. |
Regularly testing different FFmpeg configurations is vital to balancing quality and processing time. See Performance Monitoring for details on tracking processing times.
Celery and Redis Configuration
Celery manages the asynchronous processing of audio tasks. Redis acts as the message broker, facilitating communication between the web servers and the audio processing servers.
NFS Configuration
A shared NFS mount is used to store audio files and intermediate processing results. This allows the web servers to initiate tasks and retrieve processed files.
| Parameter | Value | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Server Address | `192.168.1.100` | IP address of the NFS server. |
| Mount Point | `/mnt/audio_files` | Local directory where the NFS share is mounted. |
| Export Options | `rw,sync,no_subtree_check` | Permissions and options for the NFS export. |
| Permissions | `775` | Permissions for the mounted directory. |
Ensure proper firewall rules are in place to restrict access to the NFS share. Refer to the Network Security documentation.
Monitoring and Maintenance
Continuous monitoring of the audio processing servers is essential. We use Nagios to monitor CPU usage, memory usage, disk space, and network traffic. Regular log analysis (using ELK Stack) helps identify potential issues and performance bottlenecks. Scheduled maintenance, including software updates and hardware checks, is performed weekly.
Help:Contents Manual:Configuration Manual:Installation Server Administration Audio Files File Formats Media Handling API Documentation Troubleshooting Performance Monitoring Configuration Management Network Security Data Center Task Queues Audio Filters
Intel-Based Server Configurations
| Configuration | Specifications | Benchmark |
|---|---|---|
| Core i7-6700K/7700 Server | 64 GB DDR4, NVMe SSD 2 x 512 GB | CPU Benchmark: 8046 |
| Core i7-8700 Server | 64 GB DDR4, NVMe SSD 2x1 TB | CPU Benchmark: 13124 |
| Core i9-9900K Server | 128 GB DDR4, NVMe SSD 2 x 1 TB | CPU Benchmark: 49969 |
| Core i9-13900 Server (64GB) | 64 GB RAM, 2x2 TB NVMe SSD | |
| Core i9-13900 Server (128GB) | 128 GB RAM, 2x2 TB NVMe SSD | |
| Core i5-13500 Server (64GB) | 64 GB RAM, 2x500 GB NVMe SSD | |
| Core i5-13500 Server (128GB) | 128 GB RAM, 2x500 GB NVMe SSD | |
| Core i5-13500 Workstation | 64 GB DDR5 RAM, 2 NVMe SSD, NVIDIA RTX 4000 |
AMD-Based Server Configurations
| Configuration | Specifications | Benchmark |
|---|---|---|
| Ryzen 5 3600 Server | 64 GB RAM, 2x480 GB NVMe | CPU Benchmark: 17849 |
| Ryzen 7 7700 Server | 64 GB DDR5 RAM, 2x1 TB NVMe | CPU Benchmark: 35224 |
| Ryzen 9 5950X Server | 128 GB RAM, 2x4 TB NVMe | CPU Benchmark: 46045 |
| Ryzen 9 7950X Server | 128 GB DDR5 ECC, 2x2 TB NVMe | CPU Benchmark: 63561 |
| EPYC 7502P Server (128GB/1TB) | 128 GB RAM, 1 TB NVMe | CPU Benchmark: 48021 |
| EPYC 7502P Server (128GB/2TB) | 128 GB RAM, 2 TB NVMe | CPU Benchmark: 48021 |
| EPYC 7502P Server (128GB/4TB) | 128 GB RAM, 2x2 TB NVMe | CPU Benchmark: 48021 |
| EPYC 7502P Server (256GB/1TB) | 256 GB RAM, 1 TB NVMe | CPU Benchmark: 48021 |
| EPYC 7502P Server (256GB/4TB) | 256 GB RAM, 2x2 TB NVMe | CPU Benchmark: 48021 |
| EPYC 9454P Server | 256 GB RAM, 2x2 TB NVMe |
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⚠️ *Note: All benchmark scores are approximate and may vary based on configuration. Server availability subject to stock.* ⚠️