> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://livepeerfoundation-d4522ba3.mintlify.site/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Configure your orchestrator

> Set the go-livepeer flags that define how your node runs: GPU selection, session limits, networking, and deployment mode.

This guide covers the flags every orchestrator sets, and how to choose their values. It assumes
`go-livepeer` is installed and your GPU is detected. For the full flag list, see the
[CLI flags reference](/network/reference/cli-flags).

## The essential flags

These must be set every time the node starts as an orchestrator.

| Flag                            | Purpose                                                                           |
| ------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `-network arbitrum-one-mainnet` | Join the production network (default is `offchain` — no protocol participation)   |
| `-ethUrl <RPC>`                 | An **Arbitrum One** RPC endpoint for on-chain reads/writes                        |
| `-orchestrator`                 | Enable the on-chain protocol role (routing, reward calls, discovery)              |
| `-transcoder`                   | Enable local GPU transcoding                                                      |
| `-nvidia <ids>`                 | Which NVIDIA GPUs to use (`0`, `0,1`, or `all`)                                   |
| `-maxSessions <n>`              | Max concurrent transcode sessions                                                 |
| `-pricePerUnit <wei>`           | Price per pixel, in **wei** (see [Pricing](/network/guides/orchestrator-pricing)) |
| `-serviceAddr <ip:port>`        | Public address gateways use to reach you                                          |

A complete combined-mode startup command:

```bash theme={null}
livepeer \
  -network arbitrum-one-mainnet \
  -ethUrl https://arb-mainnet.g.alchemy.com/v2/YOUR_API_KEY \
  -orchestrator \
  -transcoder \
  -nvidia 0 \
  -maxSessions 10 \
  -pricePerUnit 1000 \
  -serviceAddr YOUR_PUBLIC_IP:8935
```

Add `-v 6` while getting started for verbose logs (transcoding activity, RPC calls, sessions).

## Choosing the GPU

```bash theme={null}
nvidia-smi -L          # list device IDs first
```

```bash theme={null}
-nvidia 0              # single GPU, device 0
-nvidia 0,1            # two GPUs
-nvidia all            # all available GPUs
```

Omitting `-nvidia` falls back to CPU transcoding, which is too slow to be competitive. For AI-only
operation you still need `-nvidia` to expose the GPU to AI runner containers, even without
`-transcoder`.

## Setting the session limit

Set `-maxSessions` to the **minimum of your hardware limit and your bandwidth limit**:

```
session limit = min(hardware limit, bandwidth limit)
```

* **Hardware limit** — the highest concurrent session count your GPU sustains at a real-time ratio ≤ 0.8 (benchmark with `livepeer_bench`).
* **Bandwidth limit** — `available symmetric Mbps ÷ 6 Mbps per stream × 0.8 margin`.

Example: hardware limit 12, 100 Mbps bandwidth (\~13) → use `-maxSessions 12`.

<Note>
  `-maxSessions` applies to **video transcoding only**. AI capacity is set per pipeline by the
  `capacity` field in `aiModels.json` — see [Add AI inference](/network/guides/orchestrator-add-ai).
</Note>

## Setting the service address

`-serviceAddr` is how the network finds you. Common mistakes that silently cost you all your jobs:

* using an internal IP (`192.168.x.x`, `10.x.x.x`) — not routable from the internet
* using `0.0.0.0` — binds locally but isn't a network address
* changing the IP without updating on-chain registration — gateways lose contact

Prefer a **domain name** (`orch.yourdomain.com:8935`): if the server IP changes, you update DNS
instead of paying for a new on-chain registration transaction.

## Deployment modes

| Mode                       | Flags                               | Use when                                                             |
| -------------------------- | ----------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Combined** (most common) | `-orchestrator -transcoder`         | One machine handles everything                                       |
| **Orchestrator-only**      | `-orchestrator`                     | Remote transcoders connect via `-orchSecret`                         |
| **Transcoder-only**        | `-transcoder -orchAddr <host:port>` | Running a GPU worker that reports to a separate orchestrator process |

<Warning>
  In a split (O-T) setup, add `-reward=false` to **all transcoder** processes — only the orchestrator
  process should call `reward()`. Also drop `-ethUrl` from transcoders sharing the wallet so they
  don't submit on-chain transactions.
</Warning>

## Run it as a service

For production, supervise the process so it restarts on failure. A minimal `systemd` unit:

```ini title="/etc/systemd/system/livepeer.service" theme={null}
[Unit]
Description=Livepeer Orchestrator
After=network.target

[Service]
Type=simple
User=ubuntu
ExecStart=/usr/local/bin/livepeer \
  -network arbitrum-one-mainnet \
  -ethUrl https://arb-mainnet.g.alchemy.com/v2/YOUR_API_KEY \
  -orchestrator -transcoder -nvidia 0 \
  -maxSessions 10 -pricePerUnit 1000 \
  -serviceAddr YOUR_PUBLIC_IP:8935
Restart=on-failure
RestartSec=10

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target
```

```bash theme={null}
sudo systemctl daemon-reload && sudo systemctl enable --now livepeer
journalctl -u livepeer -f
```

## Next

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Activate on Arbitrum" icon="link" href="/network/guides/orchestrator-activate">
    Fund the wallet, stake LPT, and register on-chain.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Set pricing" icon="tag" href="/network/guides/orchestrator-pricing">
    Price so gateways actually select your node.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>