Vizrt Asset Management (VAM) is a media asset management platform that runs as a set of containerised services on a Kubernetes cluster. You install it once on a Windows host using the vamctl installer; the installer brings up the cluster, deploys the VAM services and hands you a web UI for ongoing operation.

The installer makes substantial changes to the host and needs Administrator rights throughout. Before you run it on a machine you care about, understand that it:

  • Enables and uses Hyper-V, and creates, reconfigures and deletes virtual machines and virtual switches. An install onto a host that already has VAM VMs re-provisions them, which destroys their contents.
  • Runs a rootful Podman machine on WSL 2 — used to build the Talos boot images and stage offline bundles, so it is required for every install — and issues wsl --shutdown while configuring it. That stops every WSL distribution on the host, so save any other WSL work first.
  • Formats disks you assign to cluster storage. The Deployment Configuration step names each drive it will format before you confirm.
  • Installs command-line tooling (kubectl, Helm, talosctl, Podman and others) onto the host.

Use a dedicated host for production. Read Prerequisites first.

What Gets Installed

A single VAM installation consists of:

Component

What it is

Kubernetes cluster

A small Kubernetes cluster (one or more nodes) that hosts VAM.

VAM core services

The asset-management services (ingest, search, storage backends).

Configuration Service

Web UI for managing the installation after setup is complete.

Supporting infrastructure

Object storage, document store, message broker, in-cluster registry and observability (metrics, logs, traces).

vamctl on the install host

The installer and lifecycle tool, kept on disk for upgrades.

You interact with the installation in three ways:

  • vamctl installer (Windows): used for first-time install, cluster lifecycle (add a node, upgrade Kubernetes), backup and upgrade to a new VAM version.
  • Configuration Service (web UI): day-to-day operation — installing optional packages, changing platform settings, taking backups, viewing cluster health.
  • End-user VAM applications: the actual asset management apps your editors and journalists use; these are out of scope for this document.

Installation Modes

The installer offers three workflows from its start screen:

Workflow

When to use

Online installation

Install host has internet access. Packages are pulled from the Vizrt registry.

Prepare offline installation

Run on a host that does have internet, to produce a bundle for an air-gapped install.

Offline installation

Run on the air-gapped target host with the bundle produced above.

Additional workflows that are not full installations:

Workflow

When to use

Backup / Restore

Take or restore a backup of an existing installation.

Cluster context

Switch the installer between multiple managed clusters.

Settings

Change installer-host settings (registry, paths, etc.)

Cluster Topologies

You can install VAM in one of two topologies:

  • Single-node: one machine runs everything. Recommended for evaluation and small productions.
  • Multi-node: one or more control-plane nodes plus worker nodes, for redundancy and capacity. Recommended for production.

The installer supports both Hyper-V (the default on Windows) and VMware vSphere for provisioning the nodes. You can also point the installer at an existing Kubernetes cluster instead of letting it create one. See Prerequisites → Deployment target for what each option requires, and the VMware / vSphere deployment guide for the vSphere path.

Where to Go Next