Computers for Rivendell

Computers Commonly Used to Run Rivendell

Rivendell is designed to run on standard 64‑bit Linux systems, and stations deploy it on a wide range of hardware depending on their size, budget, and audio requirements.

1. Standard Desktop, Small‑Form‑Factor PCs, and Mini PCs

Many community and small commercial stations use ordinary Linux PCs:

Intel i5/i7 or AMD Ryzen processors
4–16 GB RAM (well above the 1 GB minimum)
SSD storage for fast and reliable playout
ALSA‑compatible consumer sound cards (sufficient for non‑critical setups)

These systems exceed Rivendell’s published minimum requirements:

64‑bit Intel/AMD CPU
1 GB RAM
320 GB hard drive

2. Turnkey Broadcast Appliances

Some stations prefer pre‑configured systems such as the Rivendell Broadcast Appliance from Paravel Systems. These are standard PCs running Ubuntu LTS with Rivendell pre‑installed and validated for broadcast use.

Advantages include:

Known‑good hardware combinations
Simplified installation
Vendor support

3. Rackmount Servers

Larger stations often deploy Rivendell on enterprise‑grade servers:

1U or 2U rackmount chassis
Redundant power supplies
Mirrored disks (RAID 1)
Professional audio interfaces (e.g., AudioScience ASI cards)

This approach provides maximum uptime and integrates well with studio‑grade audio routing.

4. Virtual Machines and Containers

Some engineering teams run Rivendell in virtualized environments:

Proxmox VE
Oracle VirtualBox
VMware ESXi
KVM/QEMU

These setups typically pass through:

Dedicated audio hardware (for playout machines), or
Network‑based audio (Livewire/AES67) for fully virtualized plants.
Dummy audio for direct-to-stream.

Summary

Rivendell runs reliably on everything from modest desktops to full broadcast servers. The key factors are:

Stable Linux distribution
Reliable storage
Appropriate audio hardware for the station’s needs