Table of Contents

Essentials connection-based routing

TL;DR

Routing is defined by a connection graph or a wiring diagram. Routable devices are sources, midpoints, or destinations. Devices are connected by tie lines. Tie lines represent the cables connecting devices, and have specific signal types (audio, video, audioVideo, secondaryAudio, usbInput, usbOutput). Routes are made by telling a destination to get a route from a source for a specific signal type. Combined signal types (e.g., audioVideo) are automatically split into separate routing operations.

Summary

Essentials routing is described by defining a graph of connections between devices in a system, typically in configuration. The audio, video and combination connections are like a wiring diagram. This graph is a collection of devices and tie lines, each tie line connecting a source device, source output port, destination device and destination input port. Tie lines are logically represented as a collection.

When routes are to be executed, Essentials will use this connection graph to decide on routes from source to destination. A method call is made on a destination, which says "destination, find a way for source xyz to get to you." An algorithm analyzes the tie lines, instantly walking backwards from the destination, down every connection until it finds a complete path from the source. If a connected path is found, the algorithm then walks forward through all midpoints to the destination, executing switches as required until the full route is complete. The developer or configurer only needs to say "destination, get source xyz" and Essentials figures out how, regardless of what devices lie in between.

Signal Type Handling

When a combined signal type like audioVideo is requested, Essentials automatically splits it into two separate routing operations—one for audio and one for video. Each signal type is routed independently through the system, ensuring that:

  • Audio-only tie lines can be used for the audio portion
  • Video-only tie lines can be used for the video portion
  • AudioVideo tie lines can be used for both portions

During path discovery, only tie lines that support the requested signal type are considered. For example, if a video route is requested, only tie lines with the video flag will be evaluated. This ensures signal compatibility throughout the entire routing chain.

Port-Specific Routing

The routing system supports routing to and from specific ports on devices. You can specify:

  • A specific input port on the destination device
  • A specific output port on the source device
  • Both specific ports for precise routing control

When no specific ports are specified, the algorithm will automatically discover the appropriate ports based on available tie lines.

Request Queuing

All routing requests are processed sequentially through a queue. For devices that implement warming/cooling behavior (e.g., projectors), route requests are automatically held when a device is cooling down and executed once the device is ready. This prevents routing errors and ensures proper device state management.

Classes Referenced

  • PepperDash.Essentials.Core.Routing.IRoutingSource
  • PepperDash.Essentials.Core.Routing.IRoutingOutputs
  • PepperDash.Essentials.Core.Routing.IRoutingInputs
  • PepperDash.Essentials.Core.Routing.IRoutingInputsOutputs
  • PepperDash.Essentials.Core.Routing.IRoutingSinkNoSwitching
  • PepperDash.Essentials.Core.Routing.IRoutingSinkWithSwitching

Example system, a simple presentation system

The diagram below shows the connections in a simple presentation system, with a few variations in connection paths. Example routes will be described following the diagram.

Each visible line between ports on devices represents a tie line. A tie line connects an output port on one device to an input port on another device, for example: an HDMI port on a document camera to an HDMI input on a matrix switcher. A tie line has a signal type (audio, video, audioVideo, secondaryAudio, usbInput, or usbOutput) that determines what signals can travel through it. It is essentially a logical representation of a physical cable in a system. This diagram has 12 tie lines, and those tie lines are defined in the tieLines array in configuration.

Routing system diagram

Let’s go through some examples of routing, using pseudo-code:

  1. Method call: “Projector 1, show Doc cam.” Routing will walk backwards through DM-RMC-3 and DM-8x8 iterating through all “wired up” ports until it finds a path back to the Doc cam. Routing will then step back through all devices in the discovered chain, switching routes on those that are switchable: Doc cam: no switching; DM 8x8: route input 3 to output 3; DM-RMC-3: no switching; Projector 1: Select input HDMI In. Route is complete.
  2. Method call: "Projector 2, show Laptop, video-only." Routing will walk backwards through DM-RMC-4, DM 8x8, DM-TX-1, iterating through all connected ports until it finds a connection to the laptop. During this search, only tie lines that support video signals are considered. Routing then steps back through all devices, switching video where it can: Laptop: No switching; DM-TX-1: Select HDMI in; DM 8x8: Route input 5 to output 4; DM-RMC-4: No switching; Projector 2: Select HDMI input. Route is complete.
  3. Method call: "Amplifier, connect Laptop audio." Again walking backwards to Laptop, as in #2 above, but this time only tie lines supporting audio signals are evaluated. Switching will take place on DM-TX-1, DM 8x8, audio-only.
  4. Very simple call: “Lobby display, show signage controller.” Routing will walk back on HDMI input 1 and immediately find the signage controller. It then does a switch to HDMI 1 on the display.

All four of the above could be logically combined in a series of calls to define a possible “scene” in a room: Put Document camera on Projector 1, put Laptop on Projector 2 and the audio, put Signage on the Lobby display. They key takeaway is that the developer doesn’t need to define what is involved in making a certain route. The person configuring the system defines how it’s wired up, and the code only needs to tell a given destination to get a source, likely through configuration as well.

All of the above routes can be defined in source list routing tables, covered elsewhere (make link).

Routing Algorithm Details

Combined Signal Type Splitting

When an audioVideo route is requested, the routing system automatically splits it into two independent routing operations:

  1. Audio Route: Finds the best path for audio signals from source to destination
  2. Video Route: Finds the best path for video signals from source to destination

Each route can take a different physical path through the system. For example:

  • Video might travel: Laptop → DM-TX-1 → DM Matrix → Display
  • Audio might travel: Laptop → DM-TX-1 → DM Matrix → Audio Processor → Amplifier

Both routes are discovered, stored, and executed independently. This allows for flexible system designs where audio and video follow different paths.

The same splitting behavior occurs for Video + SecondaryAudio requests, where video and secondary audio are routed as separate operations.

Signal Type Filtering

At each step of the route discovery process, the algorithm filters tie lines based on the requested signal type:

  • Video request: Only considers tie lines with the video flag set
  • Audio request: Only considers tie lines with the audio flag set
  • AudioVideo request: Routes audio and video separately, each following their respective filtering rules

If no tie line exists with the required signal type at any point in the chain, that path is rejected and the algorithm continues searching for an alternative route. If no valid path is found, the route request fails and no switching occurs.

This filtering ensures that incompatible signal types never interfere with routing decisions. For example, an audio-only cable will never be selected when routing video, preventing misconfiguration errors.

Definitions

Ports

Ports are logical representations of the input and output ports on a device.

Source

A source is a device at the beginning of a signal chain. For example, a set-top box, or a camera. Source devices typically have only output ports.

Source devices in Essentials must implement IRoutingOutputs or IRoutingSource

Midpoint

A midpoint is a device in the middle of the signal chain. Typically a switcher, matrix or otherwise. Examples: DM chassis; DM-TX; DM-RMC; A video codec. These devices will have input and output ports.

Midpoint devices must implement IRoutingInputsOutputs. Midpoints with switching must implement IRouting.

Sink

A sink is a device at the end of a full signal path. For example, a display, amplifier, encoder, etc. Sinks typically contain only input ports. They may or may not have switching, like a display with several inputs. Classes defining sink devices must implement IRoutingSinkNoSwitching or IRoutingSinkWithSwitching.

Tie-line

A tie-line is a logical representation of a physical cable connection between two devices. It has five properties that define how the tie-line connects two devices.

How Tie Line Types Are Determined

The effective type of a tie line is determined by one of two methods:

  1. Automatic (Recommended): When no type property is specified in configuration, the tie line's type is automatically calculated as the intersection of signal types supported by both the source and destination ports. This ensures only compatible signals are considered for routing.

    Example: If a source port supports AudioVideo and the destination port supports Audio, the tie line will have type Audio (the only common type).

  2. Manual Override: When the type property is explicitly set, it overrides the automatic calculation. This is useful when the physical cable supports fewer signal types than both ports are capable of.

    Example: Both ports support AudioVideo, but the cable only carries audio, so you set "type": "audio".

Validation

At startup, tie line configurations are validated to ensure:

  • Both ports exist on their respective devices
  • The source and destination ports have at least one common signal type
  • If a type override is specified, both ports must support that signal type

Invalid tie lines will fail to build with descriptive error messages, preventing runtime routing issues.

Signal Types

Tie lines support the following signal types:

  • audio - Audio-only signals
  • video - Video-only signals
  • audioVideo - Combined audio and video (automatically split during routing)
  • secondaryAudio - Secondary audio channel (e.g., program audio separate from microphone audio)
  • usbInput - USB input signals
  • usbOutput - USB output signals

The type property determines which signals can travel through the tie line. During route discovery, only tie lines matching the requested signal type will be considered as valid paths.

Note: In most cases, you should omit the type property and let the system automatically calculate it from the port capabilities. Only use it when you need to restrict the tie line to fewer signal types than the ports support or when needed for clarity.

Configuration Examples

Example 1: Automatic type calculation (recommended)

Connecting an HDMI cable between devices that both support audio and video. The type property is omitted, so the tie line will automatically support AudioVideo:

{
  "sourceKey": "ciscoSparkPlusCodec-1",
  "sourcePort": "HdmiOut1",
  "destinationKey": "display-1",
  "destinationPort": "HdmiIn1"
}

Example 2: Type override for cable limitations

Both devices support AudioVideo, but the physical cable only carries audio. The type property restricts routing to audio only:

{
  "sourceKey": "dmSwitcher-1",
  "sourcePort": "audioVideoOut1",
  "destinationKey": "amplifier-1",
  "destinationPort": "audioVideoIn1",
  "type": "audio"
}

Example 3: Mismatched port types (automatically handled)

Source only supports audio, destination supports both. No type needed—the tie line will automatically be Audio:

{
  "sourceKey": "audioProcessor-1",
  "sourcePort": "audioOut1",
  "destinationKey": "dmSwitcher-1",
  "destinationPort": "audioVideoIn1"
}

Invalid Example: Incompatible types

This configuration will fail validation at startup because the ports have no common signal types:

{
  "sourceKey": "audioProcessor-1",
  "sourcePort": "audioOut1",
  "destinationKey": "display-1",
  "destinationPort": "hdmiIn1",
  "type": "video"
}

Error: "Override type 'Video' is not supported by source port 'audioOut1' (type: Audio)"

Interfaces

Todo: Define Interfaces IRouting, IRoutingOutputs, IRoutingInputs

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