We helped UNRC (Universidad Nacional de Río Cuarto) University from Argentina to achieve 10K students at a time with recording
In the heart of Argentina, Universidad Nacional de Río Cuarto (UNRC) faced a challenge that would shape the future of its educational delivery. With a vision to provide uninterrupted, quality education to over 10,000 students simultaneously online, UNRC turned to us to transform this vision into reality. This case study explores the journey of scaling Jitsi, an open-source video conferencing tool, to meet the ambitious needs of UNRC.
The Challenge: Scaling for the Masses
While Jitsi is renowned for its ease of installation and use, scaling it to support thousands of users is a complex task. UNRC’s goal wasn’t just to transition to online learning; it was to do so without compromising the quality of education and interaction. They needed a robust, scalable solution that could handle over 10,000 concurrent students without a hitch.
Our Approach: Customized Jitsi Solutions
Understanding the unique needs of UNRC, we embarked on a journey to customize Jitsi to fit the mold of a large-scale educational setup. Here’s how we did it:
1. On-premises Jitsi Setup & Rebranding: We started with setting up Jitsi on UNRC’s premises, ensuring full control and security over the educational content. Rebranding was key to making the platform truly feel like a part of UNRC.
2. Multi-cluster Jitsi Scaling: To handle the massive user load, we implemented a multi-cluster approach. This ensured that the system was not only scalable but also resilient, maintaining quality performance even at peak times.
3. Dockerised Jibri Setup: Recording lectures is crucial for students who wish to review the material. We dockerized Jibri, making it scalable and reliable for recording thousands of lectures simultaneously.
4. Syncing Recordings with Other Servers Using SFTP: Accessibility and security of recorded content were paramount. We set up a system to sync these recordings to other servers via SFTP, ensuring they were easily accessible yet secure.
5. Jitsi Integration with Existing System: To provide a seamless experience, we integrated Jitsi with UNRC’s existing systems. This ensured that students and faculty could transition smoothly to the new platform without a steep learning curve.
The Outcome: A Leap into the Future of Education
The results were transformative. UNRC successfully hosted over 10,000 concurrent students, providing a seamless, interactive online learning experience. The robustness of the scaled Jitsi system meant that classes went on without interruptions, and the quality of education remained uncompromised.