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Windows Media ServicesPart 1

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Windows Media Services............................................................................................Getting started.......................................................................................................

Using the Internet or an intranet.......................................................................Concepts...............................................................................................................

ASF overview..................................................................................................Windows Media Audio overview.....................................................................MP3 overview..................................................................................................Understanding unicast vs. multicast streaming.................................................Understanding on-demand vs. broadcast streaming..........................................

On-demand streaming overview............................................................................................

Broadcast streaming overview...............................................................................................Understanding publishing point vs. station content...........................................Announcing ASF content.................................................................................

Using playlists........................................................................................................................Understanding Windows Media Services protocols..........................................

MMS protocol overview..........................................................................................................

MSBD protocol overview........................................................................................................

HTTP overview........................................................................................................................Using rollover..................................................................................................

Windows Media components overview..................................................................Windows Media server components.................................................................Windows Media Services client software.........................................................Windows Media Tools.....................................................................................PowerPoint 2000 Presentation Broadcasting.....................................................

Preparing the network for PowerPoint 2000 Presentation Broadcasting..............................

Learning more about PowerPoint 2000 Presentation Broadcasting.....................................Resources..............................................................................................................

Windows Media Server Components..........................................................................Windows Media Administrator...................................................................................

How to. . ..............................................................................................................Starting Windows Media Administrator.................................................................Using Windows Media server components with firewalls......................................

Configuring a Windows Media server with a firewall.......................................

Scenario 1: Windows Media server and clients are inside a firewall....................................

Scenario 2: Windows Media server and clients are outside a firewall..................................

Scenario 3: Windows Media server and clients are separated by a firewall.........................Using HTTP streaming..........................................................................................

Changing the port to which the HTTP service binds.............................................................Using Windows Media server components and IIS on the same server..................Defining Windows Media MIME types in IIS........................................................Running Windows Backup with Windows Media Services....................................

Windows Media Services enables you to stream multimedia content over networks that range from low-bandwidth, dial-up Internet connections to high-bandwidth, local area networks. When you install Windows Media Services, you can choose Windows Media Services in the Windows Components Wizard to install the Windows Media component services and Windows Media Administrator. Click Details and select only Windows Media Services Admin to install only Windows Media Administrator. Install only Windows Media Administrator if you want to remotely administer a Windows Media server.

This documentation provides information about using Windows Media component services to stream Windows Media content. This documentation is also provided in .doc format in the SystemDrive\SystemRoot\system32\Windows Media\docs\print directory and can be viewed with Microsoft WordPad or Microsoft Word.

NoteThe names of companies, products, people, characters, and/or data mentioned herein are fictitious and are in no way intended to represent any real individual, company, product, or event, unless otherwise noted.

Windows Media Services

Getting startedWhen you employ Windows Media Services on your Web site, you see that it works similarly to a Web server. You also see how it can add capabilities to your Web site, such as offering radio and television programs, slide show presentations, file transfers, movies, and multimedia shows.

As an administrator of Windows Media Services, you are responsible for configuring the server in order to make content available to your users, and for determining the method by which you provide that content. The following diagram illustrates, generally, how ASF content is provided to users.

It is recommended that you dedicate a separate NTFS volume for storing on-demand content. For best results, this volume should be on a separate physical disk. NTFS volumes are more efficient than FAT16 partitions, in terms of storage space used and disk-read operations. An NTFS volume also permits use of access control list (ACL) checking on your content files.

KeyWindows Media Tools can create .asffiles.Windows Media Encoder can create .asffiles.Windows Media Encoder can deliver alive stream to a Windows Media serverto be served as unicast or multicastcontent.Windows Media server can use .asffiles as a source for unicast or multicastcontent.Windows Media server can unicastcontent to a client.Windows Media server can multicastcontent over an IP address.

ASF filestorage

Microsoft Windows Media Player clients

Subnet group

Windows Media Tools computer

Windows MediaEncoder

Windows MediaAuthor, VidToASF,

WavToASF,PowerPoint

Windows Mediaserver

1

2

3

4

5

6

4

2

1

555 5

WindowsMedia

Unicastservice

6

3

WindowsMedia

Stationservice

NoteThe Windows Media Tools applications listed for the Windows Media Tools computer can be downloaded from the Windows Media Technologies page at the Microsoft Web site.

Using the Internet or an intranetWindows Media Services is a product that can be used to provide content to both Internet and intranet users. However, you do several things differently depending on your target audience.

If you decide to provide content to the Internet, be aware of the following issues:

· Most of the Internet is not multicast-enabled, so you must provide unicast alternatives for any multicast content.

· Internet bandwidth is not reliable. Internet traffic fluctuates greatly, and the type of connection a user obtains can differ with each connection.

· Networks that use a proxy server may need special configuration to provide Internet client access to the Windows Media server.

· If you use a Web server program in conjunction with Windows Media Services (that is, they share the same computer), verify that they are not using conflicting HTTP ports and that all links can be resolved when accessed by an Internet client.

If you decide to provide content to an intranet, be aware of the following issues:

· Some of your system components may be separated by a firewall.· To provide multicast content, your network must have multicast-enabled routers.· Consider how many administrators you will have for your server, and whether

you will need remote administrators.· Consider how users will access your content.

Concepts Windows Media Services offers the ability to provide multimedia content to a large number of clients using ASF, .wma, .MP3 and .wav formats.

Each client can render content as it is being received over the network without downloading the content first due to the use of data streaming. Streaming greatly reduces the wait time and storage requirements on the client. It also permits presentations of unlimited length, as well as live broadcasts.

This section provides an overview of key Windows Media Services concepts and the components used to create, deliver, and play back streaming media.

NoteASF is the suggested format for streaming. If you choose to stream .wav or .MP3 files, understand that server performance can be significantly affected. Also, features such as adding images and script commands are not available.

ASF overviewWindows Media Services uses ASF, an open standard that supports data delivery over a variety of networks and protocols. ASF is used to arrange, organize and synchronize multimedia data for streaming over networks. ASF is a file format; however, it can be used to specify the format of live presentations as well. While ASF is optimized for sending multimedia streams over networks, it is equally suited for local playback as well.

Any compression-decompression algorithm (codec) can be used to encode ASF streams. Information stored in the ASF stream can be used to aid the client in determining which codec is needed to decompress the stream. In addition, ASF streams can be carried over any underlying network transmission protocol.

Windows Media Audio, which has a .wma file extension, is an audio-only ASF file compressed with the Windows Media Audio codec. This type of media differs from .asf files only in its extension. Windows Media server can stream .wma files, and you can announce .wma files (called .wax files) using the program manager. Microsoft created .wma files for use with clients that play audio only.

Windows Media Audio overviewWindows Media Audio files are audio-only .asf files compressed with the Windows Media Audio codec and renamed with a .wma extension. The Windows Media Tools and Windows Media server do not create Windows Media Audio content. Instead, to convert ASF content to Windows Media Audio content, rename the file's extension from .asf to .wma. All .wma files have their own stream redirector files called .wax files. These .wax files function exactly like ASF stream redirector files (.asx files) except that .wax files are designed to announce Windows Media Audio content. You create a .wax file by renaming an .asx file with a .wax extension.

MP3 overviewWindows Media Services streams .mp3 files just as it streams .asf and .wma files. This means you can place .mp3 files in the virtual root directory (SystemDrive\ASFRoot) or any unicast publishing point, and users will be able to stream the .mp3 files instead of downloading them. You can also use .mp3 files as the source for a multicast either by transcoding the .mp3 file into an .asf file using Windows Media Encoder or making the station use an .mp3 file located in a publishing point.

Using .mp3 files in a playlistIf you reference an .mp3 file in an .asx file playlist using an HTTP URL, the link to the .mp3 file requires an .asf extension. Notice the HTTP reference to file2.mp3 in the following playlist:

<ASX version = "3.0"><Entry><Ref href = "mms://server/file1.asf" /> </Entry><Entry><Ref href = "http://server/file2.mp3?ext=.asf" /> </Entry><Entry><Ref href = "mms://server/file3.mp3" /> </Entry> </asx>

The HTTP reference to the .mp3 file requires that ?ext=.asf be added to the end of the file name so that Windows Media Player is used to play the .mp3 file.

Understanding unicast vs. multicast streamingWindows Media Services uses the terms unicast and multicast when describing how clients receive data packets from a Windows Media server.

About unicastA unicast is a point-to-point connection between the client and server. Point-to-point means that each client receives a distinct stream from the server. A unicast stream is sent to only the client that requested it.

Unicast streams can be distributed to a client in one of two ways:

· On-demand· Broadcast

About multicastA multicast is a content stream delivered over a multicast-enabled network; all clients on the network share the same stream. The biggest advantage of streaming ASF content in this manner is that it saves network bandwidth.

You can extend a multicast to areas of your network that are not multicast-enabled by setting up Windows Media servers on each segment of your network—this is called server distribution. As part of a multicast from a server, you can distribute a single stream (of that multicast) to other Windows Media servers on other segments of the network. The servers subsequently provide the stream to their network segment via unicast or multicast; this is known as re-distribution. By chaining one server to another, you can overcome routers that are not multicast-enabled. This model also works for getting through a firewall.

The Windows Media Services administrator must create three items to support a multicast: a station, program, and stream. The station serves as the reference point for clients that want to connect to the stream. The program organizes content items that are going to be broadcast over the station. The stream is the actual content. Once these all are created, Windows Media Administrator creates an .asx file that links clients to the correct IP address for the station; this file is also called an announcement. You can link to the announcement file from a Web page, place it in a public share point on the network, or send it to clients via e-mail.

Understanding on-demand vs. broadcast streamingWindows Media Services uses the terms on-demand and broadcast when describing the client/server relationship. An on-demand stream affords the user an active means of controlling playback, while a broadcast stream provides a passive user experience.

On-demand streaming overviewOn-demand is one of the ways in which a user receives streaming information from a Windows Media server. An on-demand connection is an active connection between the client and server. In an on-demand connection, the user initiates the client connection to the server by selecting the content item. The content is carried from the server to the client in an ASF stream. If the file is indexed, the user can start, stop, rewind, fast-forward, or pause the stream. On-demand connections offer the most control of the stream, but they can quickly use up the bandwidth of a network because each client has its own connection to a server.

An example of an on-demand unicast is when a user requests a stored .asf file. The client connects to the server to receive a specific piece of content, and the content is streamed only to a single client. The client uses the name of the server and the name of the .asf file to identify the URL of the .asf file.

On-DemandUnicast

clients

Each client has its own on-demandunicast connection to Server1. Theconnection is initiated by the user

providing the path mms://Server1/sample.asf to Windows Media Player.

Server1

Broadcast streaming overviewBroadcast refers to a passive user experience of receiving a stream. During a broadcast, the client receives the stream, but does not control the stream. For example, the user cannot pause, fast-forward, or rewind the stream. There are two types of broadcasts—unicast and multicast—both of which are passive.

Broadcast unicastIn a broadcast unicast, the stream is accessed by the client from an alias on a publishing point. The user can click a link in a Web page or otherwise be provided the URL to the alias, and connect to the stream. Each user who connects to the stream has his or her own connection and stream of data coming from the server.

For example, Windows Media Encoder sends a content stream to a broadcast publishing point on the Windows Media server. All publishing points have an alias—the alias for the broadcast publishing point in this example is TV1. The client uses TV1 to identify the path to the stream source. Because the ASF stream of the television station can be identified by a publishing point, the URL reference to the ASF stream is similar to that of a stored .asf file. However, instead of identifying the name of an .asf file, you identify the publishing point alias¾TV1. Thus, in this example, the user uses the following path to access the stream—mms://Server1/TV1.

Broadcast UnicastClients

Server1Windows MediaEncoder = NSE1

Alias:TV1Path: mms://Server1/TV1

Broadcast multicastIn a broadcast multicast, the passive client receives a multicast ASF stream by monitoring a specific IP address (similar to receiving a signal from a radio or TV station over a distinct frequency). The advantage of a multicast is that a single stream can provide ASF content to many clients across the network. This preserves network bandwidth, and can be extremely useful for low bandwidth local area networks.

Broadcast Multicast

WindowsMedia

EncoderWindows Media Encoder deliversan ASF stream to WindowsMedia server for multicast.

WindowsMediaserver

Windows Media server broadcaststhe ASF stream to a multicast IPaddress and port.

Clients receive the ASF stream by running the .asxfile, which tells each client the multicast IP addressand port to monitor for the ASF stream.

Clients

To use multicast broadcasting on a network, the network routers must support multicasting. However, whether or not your network routers support multicasts, you can use Windows Media Services to multicast over the local segment of your local area network.

Understanding publishing point vs. station contentWindows Media Services uses the terms publishing points and stations when describing how the server provides content to a client.

A publishing point is used to access unicast content. A publishing point is a virtual directory that stores content you have made available to clients on your server. In Windows Media Administrator you have two types of publishing points that you can use to provide content to your clients.

· On-demand unicast publishing points are used to provide .asf files.· Broadcast unicast publishing points are used to provide live ASF streams.When creating publishing points, you can set limits on the number of clients that can access the publishing point at a given time, and on the amount of bandwidth that can be used by that publishing point. These limits are useful in managing the amount of bandwidth that the publishing point consumes. If you find that a publishing point is in high demand, consider providing its content through a multicast station to save bandwidth.

A station is used to access multicast content. A station consists of at least one program and stream. A station without associated programs and streams has no content. Because stations are multicast, the stream is shared among all clients that want to access it; the number of clients has no impact on the network or the stream. Thus, there is no need to limit the number of clients that can access the streams.

Announcing ASF contentYou can make it easy for users to request and receive ASF content by providing an announcement, an .asx file for your ASF content. An announcement is a specially formatted text file, saved with an .asx extension, designed to be distributed to clients via e-mail, placed on a server for UNC access, or linked to from a Web page to be downloaded. No matter how you make the .asx file accessible, all the user has to do to access ASF content is run the .asx file.

Windows Media Services uses announcements for live streams, .asf files, and .wma files. Announcements for .wma files are called .wax files. Announcements are not used for file transfers.

Using playlistsA playlist is a set of pointers to multiple .asf files or ASF streams. Each file or stream is referenced by a URL. Windows Media Services supports two types of playlists—client-side and server-side.

Understanding Windows Media Services protocolsThe following diagram depicts how protocols are used to communicate between the components of a Windows Media Services system.

Windows Media Player clients

Subnet group

Windows Media server

ASF filestorage

Windows MediaTools computer

Windows MediaEncoder

Windows MediaAuthor, VidToASF,

WavToASF,PowerPoint

WindowsMedia

Stationservice

File transfer

File transfer

DCOM

MSBDHTTP

MMSTHTTP

WindowsMedia

Programservice

WindowsMedia

Unicastservice

MMSU, MMST, HTTPMSBD, HTTP

DCOM

MSBD, HTTP, Multicast

MSBD, HTTP

File transfer

Notice that you can connect all of the components via HTTP, allowing them to communicate even if they are separated by a firewall.

Clients that connect to a multicast do not use a protocol; they receive the data as it streams over the multicast IP address and do not need to negotiate a connection.

NoteThe Windows Media Tools applications listed for the Windows Media Tools computer can be downloaded from the Windows Media Technologies page at the Microsoft Web site.

MMS protocol overviewThe MMS protocol is used to access unicast content from a Windows Media publishing point. MMS is the default method of connecting to the Windows Media Unicast service. If viewers are going to type a URL in Windows Media Player to connect to content rather than access the content through a hyperlink, they must use MMS protocol and have a reference for the stream.

When connecting to a publishing point using the MMS protocol, protocol rollover is used to get the best connection. Protocol rollover starts by trying to connect the client to the server via MMSU. MMSU is the MMS protocol combined with UDP data transport. If the MMSU connection is unsuccessful, then the server attempts to use MMST. MMST is the MMS protocol combined with TCP data transport.

If you are connecting to an indexed .asf file and want to be able to fast-forward, rewind, pause, start, and stop the stream, you must use MMS. You cannot fast-forward or rewind with UNC paths.

When you connect to a publishing point from a stand-alone Windows Media Player, you must specify the URL to the unicast content. If your content is being published on-demand over the Home publishing point, the URL is composed of the server name and .asf file name. For example:

mms://windows_media_server/sample.asf

Where windows_media_server is the name of the Windows Media server and sample.asf is the name of the .asf file you want to stream.

If you have live content to publish via broadcast unicast, the URL is composed of the server name and publishing point alias. For example:

mms://windows_media_server/LiveEvents

Where windows_media_server is the name of the Windows Media server and LiveEvents is the name of the publishing point.

MSBD protocol overviewThe MSBD protocol is used to distribute streams between Windows Media Encoder and the Windows Media server components, and to transfer streams between servers. MSBD is a connection-oriented protocol, optimized for use with streaming media. MSBD is useful in testing client server connectivity and ASF content quality, but should not be used as the main method of receiving ASF content. Windows Media Encoder can support a maximum of 15 MSBD clients; a Windows Media server can support a maximum of 5 MSBD clients.

HTTP overviewYou can configure your Windows Media server to use the HTTP protocol to stream content. Using HTTP streaming helps to overcome firewalls as obstacles because most firewalls allow HTTP to pass through. HTTP streaming can also be used to stream content from Windows Media Encoder through a firewall to the Windows Media server and can be used to connect Windows Media servers that are separated by a firewall. If you are running Windows Media Services on the same computer as a Web server, such as Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS), be sure there is not a conflict on port 80.

Using rolloverSometimes Microsoft Windows Media Player cannot connect to the Windows Media server and access a unicast because of network problems, server maintenance, or other reasons. When you use the MMS protocol to publish your .asf file, protocol rollover is automatic from MMS protocol over UDP (MMSU) to MMS protocol over TCP and finally to HTTP. When attempting to connect to the stream source, Windows Media Player tries each protocol in turn until a connection to the source is made. This ensures that Windows Media Player can reach the data.

Use of the REF tag in an .asx file shows how protocol rollover works. The REF tag can be used to specify different protocols to reach the same source. For example, if the first REF tag specifies the MMS protocol and the second REF tag specifies the HTTP link, clients that cannot connect by using MMS (because they are behind a firewall) automatically can try to connect using HTTP. Windows Media Player performs this type of rollover automatically when you specify the MMS protocol as you create a unicast publishing point.

URL rollover also can be used to specify different Windows Media servers that contain the same content. For example, if the first REF tag specifies an .asf file on a server called hound1 and the second REF tag specifies a copy of the file on hound2, Windows Media Player can reach the file using either server. If hound1 is too busy or fails, Windows Media Player automatically connects to hound2.

Windows Media components overviewMicrosoft Windows Media Technologies provides a tightly integrated set of services and tools used to produce, administer, broadcast, and receive rich multimedia presentations streamed over the Internet and corporate intranets. This section contains details about the Windows Media server components. The other components that comprise the Windows Media Technologies family are Windows Media Tools and Windows Media Player.

Windows Media server componentsThe Windows Media server components consist of the Windows Media component services and Windows Media Administrator.

Windows Media component servicesThe Windows Media component services are a set of services running on Microsoft Windows2000 Server. These services broadcast audio and video content via unicast and multicast to clients. The component services are the Windows Media Monitor, Program, Station, and Unicast services.

Windows Media AdministratorWindows Media Administrator is a set of Web pages that runs in a Microsoft Internet Explorer version 5 browser window and manages the Windows Media component services. With Windows Media Administrator, you can control the local server, or you can attach to and control one or more remote Windows Media servers. To manage multiple servers, add the servers to the server list, and then connect to the server you want to manage.

You can run Windows Media Administrator on Microsoft Windows2000 Server or Microsoft Windows2000 Professional.

Windows Media Services client softwareClient software, called Windows Media Player, receives and renders streams from a Windows Media server. Windows Media Services uses Windows Media Player to render ASF streams that can include video content, audio content, images, URLs, and scripts. For a client to receive multicast file transfers, Nsfile.ocx must be configured and installed on the client computer. Nsfile.ocx is not installed as part of Windows Media Player. To download the file transfer control, go to the Microsoft Web site.

Clients are available for the Microsoft Windows, Apple Macintosh, and UNIX operating systems.

Upgrading client software from NetShow Player version 2.0If you do not wish to support Microsoft NetShow Player version 2.0, you can use fupgrade.asf to inform Windows Media Services clients that they must upgrade from

NetShow Player 2.0 to Microsoft Windows Media Player to receive the selected content. When Windows Media Services is installed, fupgrade.asf is placed in the Home publishing point (the default is SystemDrive\ASFRoot). When NetShow Player clients connect to a publishing point on the Windows Media server, fupgrade.asf streams to the client in place of the requested stream. This .asf file explains to users that they must upgrade their client and launches a browser on the client computer that connects to the Microsoft Web site where the latest version of Windows Media Player can be downloaded.

Upgrading earlier versions of Windows Media PlayerEarlier versions of Windows Media Player cannot play new content that uses a new codec, multiple bit rate encoding, or digital rights management. However, when an earlier client connects to the Windows Media server, fupgrade.asf plays and prompts the user to download the latest version of Windows Media Player from the Windows Media Player Web site. If users download the latest Windows Media Player, they can play all ASF content including multiple bit rate and protected content.

NoteIf you want to disable the upgrade feature so that users will not be prompted to upgrade their clients, rename or delete fupgrade.asf and then restart the services.

Windows Media ToolsThe following tools and utilities are available for Windows Media Services to produce and modify the content that is streamed by a Windows Media server:

· Windows Media Encoder is a tool that can convert both live and stored audio and video content to an ASF stream, which then can be streamed over a network by a Windows Media server. To provide added depth to your content stream, you can add script commands. These script commands can be used to go to a specific Web site, initiate page flips, provide rating information, or create an e-mail message. Once a content stream is created, it can be written to an .asf file for playback later.

· Windows Media Author is a tool that Microsoft co-developed with Digital Renaissance, Incorporated. This tool is used to assemble, synchronize, and compress audio and image files into a single .asf file. The content that Windows Media Author creates is called illustrated audio because it resembles a slide show put to a sound track. Windows Media Author also can add script commands and URLs to .asf files.

· Windows Media Presenter for Microsoft PowerPoint 97 is an add-in tool for use with PowerPoint that, along with Windows Media Encoder, helps you turn a PowerPoint presentation into an ASF stream.

· Windows Media Publish to ASF for Microsoft PowerPoint 97 is an add-in tool that turns your PowerPoint presentation with narrations into an .asf file.

· Windows Media Plug-In for Adobe Premiere provides easy compression and conversion of your video files into ASF from within Adobe Premiere. For more information, see Adobe Premiere Help.

· Windows Media ASF Indexer is a tool that edits the start and stop time of .asf files and indexes them. It also can be used to provide markers, properties, and script commands to an .asf file.

· VidToAsf and WavToAsf are conversion utilities that run from the command-line of your server. They are used to convert existing sound and movie files to the ASF format.

· ASFCheck and ASFChop are file utilities that run from the command line of your server. ASFCheck is used to verify the format of the .asf file and repair the file if possible. ASFChop can be used to add properties, markers, indexes, and script commands to the .asf file and to delete sections of time from the .asf file. For more information about creating .asx files, see ASX Metafile Reference.

NoteTo obtain the complete set of Windows Media Tools mentioned in the preceding list, download Windows Media Tools from the Windows Media Technologies page at the Microsoft Web site.

PowerPoint 2000 Presentation BroadcastingMicrosoft PowerPoint 2000 includes the Presentation Broadcasting feature, which allows users to broadcast streaming PowerPoint presentations in real time to network users. In addition to slides, presenters can broadcast video and audio simultaneously to deliver a live multimedia show online. The PowerPoint 2000 Presentation Broadcasting feature combines the functionality of PowerPoint, Microsoft Outlook, Windows Media Services, and Windows Media Player.

To support PowerPoint 2000 Presentation Broadcasting, Windows Media Services installs the On-line Presentation Broadcast service. This service allows you to use the Presentation Broadcasting feature of Microsoft PowerPoint 2000 to broadcast streaming PowerPoint presentations in real time over an intranet using a Windows Media server. If you plan to use the Presentation Broadcasting feature to broadcast a presentation to more than 15 users or if you plan to include video with your presentation, you need to use Windows Media Services to broadcast the presentation.

Preparing the network for PowerPoint 2000 Presentation BroadcastingTo enable the On-line Presentation Broadcast service on your network and scale it to audiences with more than 15 users, it is recommended that you provide two servers that reside on the same Windows2000 domain:

· A Microsoft Windows2000 Server for file sharing. PowerPoint slides will reside in a file share on this server and be accessed by users during the presentation broadcast.

· A Windows2000 Server with Windows Media Services installed. This server will stream the presentation audio and video via unicast or multicast and optionally distribute the PowerPoint slides via multicast.

On the server running Windows Media Services, perform the following:

· Configure the On-line Presentation Broadcast service to log on with a domain user name and password. For more information, see To configure the On-line Presentation Broadcast service on the Windows Media server.

· Add the domain user account that the On-line Presentation Broadcast service uses for log on to the NetShow Administrators group and the Administrators group.

On the server used for file sharing, perform the following:

· Give the domain user account used by On-line Presentation Broadcast service Read access to the shared folder where the PowerPoint .asd files are stored.

NoteIf a Windows2000 domain is not available, then create a domain user account on both the Windows Media Server and the server for file sharing. Confirm that the user account passwords on each server are identical and add the On-line Presentation Broadcast service to the NetShow Administrators group and the Administrators group on the server running Windows Media Services. Then, configure the service on the Windows Media server to startup with a specific user name and the password you just created. For more information, see To configure the On-line Presentation Broadcast service on the Windows Media server.

To configure the On-line Presentation Broadcast service on the Windows Media server1. Log on to the computer running Windows Media Services, using an account with

administrative privileges.2. In Control Panel, double-click Administrative Tools, and then double-click

Services.3. In Services, right-click the On-line Presentation Broadcast service and then click

Properties.4. In On-line Presentation Broadcast Properties, click the Log On tab.5. Under Log On As in On-line Presentation Broadcast Properties, select the

This Account option.6. Type in the domain user account name and password for the service to use to log

on.

NotesYou must confirm the network is properly configured for On-line Presentation Broadcasting. For more information, see Preparing the network for PowerPoint 2000 Presentation Broadcasting.

If you change the password for the account you use to log on to the computer running Windows Media Services, you must also change the password in this dialog for the On-line Presentation Broadcast service.

If you select Manual as the Startup Type option for the On-line Presentation Broadcast service (the default option), the service starts automatically when a user starts the service, and it does not use system resources when it is not needed.

Learning more about PowerPoint 2000 Presentation BroadcastingTo learn more about Presentation Broadcasting in PowerPoint 2000 and how to configure PowerPoint, read the MSDN Article at the Microsoft Web site.

For more information about using the Broadcast Presentation feature of PowerPoint 2000, see the Office 2000 resource kit documentation at the Microsoft Web site.

ResourcesAfter Windows Media Services is installed, you can find information about using its features and on preparing content from several sources:

· Windows Media Services Help. Complete online documentation is available with Windows Media Services. You can open the documentation from Windows Media Administrator. Microsoft Word files, available in .doc format for convenient printing, are in the SystemDrive\SystemRoot\system32\Windows Media\docs\print directory. The printable documents are identical to the online documentation and should be printed in the following order: srvr_admin1.doc, srvr_admin2.doc, srvr_admin3.doc, srvr_admin4.doc, and srvr_admin5.doc.

· Windows Media Technologies Web page. The Windows Media Technologies page at the Microsoft Web site provides overviews, samples, and up-to-date information for all Windows Media Technologies users. An item that may be of particular interest to you is the Windows Media Technologies Software Development Kit (SDK), which provides samples, guides, and reference information for developers.

Windows Media server components consist of the Windows Media component services, a group of services that are used to send audio and video content via unicast and multicast to clients, and Windows Media Administrator.

This overview explains how the Web-based Windows Media Administrator is used to control Windows Media component services and stream Windows Media content. The documentation includes the following sections:

Windows Media AdministratorHow Windows Media Administrator can be used to administer any Windows Media server on which you have administrative rights.UnicastsHow Windows Media server components can be configured to deliver on-demand and live unicast streams to clients, and how these clients can be monitored.MulticastsHow Windows Media server components can be configured to conserve bandwidth by delivering a multicast stream to clients, and how these clients can be monitored.Windows Media event monitorsHow Windows Media server system activity, including client connections, server status and limits, and administrative functions, can be monitored.Windows Media performance countersHow the customized Microsoft Windows Media performance counters in Windows Media Performance Monitor can be used to measure Windows Media server performance and efficiency.Information logsHow information about the clients that view a unicast or multicast can be saved to a log.Windows Media administration and securityHow the built-in security features in Windows Media server components that integrate fully with Microsoft Windows 2000 Server can be used to control access to Windows Media content.

Windows Media Server Components

Windows Media Administrator is a set of Web pages that run in a Microsoft Internet Explorer 5 browser window. It is used to control any Windows Media server that you have administrative rights to in the Microsoft Windows domain. If you want to remotely administer other Windows Media servers, you must be a member of the NetShow Administrators group or an administrator on the remote computer.

If you administer Windows Media server components remotely, Windows Media Administrator uses distributed Component Object Model (DCOM) to communicate with the Windows Media server components. If you want to administer a Windows Media server that is not in the same Windows domain or that is separated from Windows Media Administrator by a firewall, you must open a port on your firewall that distributed DCOM can use to communicate.

Windows Media Administrator is installed with Windows Media server components. You can run Windows Media Administrator on Microsoft Windows2000 Server or Windows2000 Professional.

How to. . .This section lists the procedures that are commonly performed while running Windows Media Administrator. Use the procedures to quickly accomplish a task. This procedure list precedes the overview information that explains Windows Media Administrator in more detail. If you want to learn more about Windows Media Administrator, continue past the procedures and read the overview information.

To start Windows Media Administrator· Click Start, point to Programs, point to Administrative Tools, and then click

Windows Media.

To connect to a Windows Media server· In the Windows Media Administrator menu frame, click the down arrow to

display the server list, and then click the server to which you want to connect.

NoteIf the server you want is not displayed, or no servers are displayed, add the server to the list.

To add a server to the server list· In the Windows Media Administrator menu frame, click Add Server, and then

type the server name in the Server box.

To remove a server from the server list· Click the server name in the list, and then click Remove Server.

Windows Media Administrator

Windows Media Administrator is disconnected from the server, and the server name is removed from the server list.

To edit the port that the Windows Media Unicast service uses for HTTP streaming1. Start Registry Editor.2. In Registry Editor, use the tree view to navigate through the following path:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\nsunicast\Parameters.

3. Double-click the key HTTPPort.DWORD Editor appears.

4. In the DWORD Editor dialog box, select Decimal.Data must read 80.

5. Type the number of the port that you want HTTP streaming to use.

NoteYour ability to make changes to the registry by using Registry Editor depends on your access permissions. Incorrectly editing the registry can severely damage your system. Before making changes to the registry, back up any valued data on the computer.

To edit the port that the Windows Media Station service uses for HTTP streaming1. Start Registry Editor.2. In Registry Editor, use the tree view to navigate through the following path:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\nsstation\Parameters.

3. Double-click the key HTTPPort.DWORD Editor appears.

4. In the DWORD Editor dialog box, select Decimal.Data must read 80.

5. Type the number of the port that you want HTTP streaming to use.

NoteYour ability to make changes to the registry by using Registry Editor depends on your access permissions. Incorrectly editing the registry can severely damage your system. Before making changes to the registry, back up any valued data on the computer.

To enable HTTP streaming for Windows Media server components that share a server with IIS 5.01. Read the information in Using Windows Media server components and IIS on the

same server.2. Assign an IP address to a Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS) Web site.

For more information, see To assign an IP address to an IIS Web site.3. Disable socket pooling for the IIS Web site. For more information, see To disable

socket pooling for an IIS Web site.4. Enable HTTP streaming for Windows Media server components. You can enable

HTTP streaming for unicast or multicast streaming.5. Edit the registry to make the Windows Media component services depend on the

World Wide Web Publishing Service. For more information, see To edit the registry so that the Windows Media Unicast service depends on the Web server.

6. Restart your computer.

NoteWindows Media server components cannot stream ASF content via HTTP when IIS 3.0 or earlier is installed on the server because the IIS Web site binds to port 80 on all available IP addresses. To enable HTTP streaming for one of the Windows Media component services, Web sites running under IIS 4.0 or later must not be configured to use all unassigned IP addresses.

To assign an IP address to an IIS Web site1. In Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS), select the Windows Media

server computer.2. Right-click Default Web Site, and then on the pull-down menu, click

Properties.The Default Web Site Properties dialog box appears.

3. In the Default Web Site Properties dialog box, select the Web Site tab.4. On the Web Site tab, in the IP Address dialog box, type the IP address that you

want IIS to use.5. Repeat steps 2 through 4 for any additional Web sites that you run under IIS,

including the administration Web site.

NoteWindows Media server components cannot stream ASF content via HTTP when IIS 3.0 or earlier is installed on the server because the IIS Web site binds to port 80 on all available IP addresses. To enable HTTP streaming for one of the Windows Media server components, Web sites running under IIS 4.0 or later must not be configured to use all unassigned IP addresses.

To disable socket pooling for an IIS 5.0 Web site1. At the command prompt, type cd SystemDrive\inetpub\adminscripts.2. At the SystemDrive\Inetpub\AdminScripts command prompt, type

cscript adsutil.vbs set w3svc/disablesocketpooling true.The command prompt will reply:disablesocketpooling : (BOOLEAN) TRUE

To edit the registry so that the Windows Media Unicast service depends on the Web server1. Start Registry Editor (Click Start, click Run, and then type regedt32).2. To update the Windows Media Unicast service, in Registry Editor, use the tree

view to navigate through the following path:HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\nsunicast.

3. Double-click the key DependOnService.The Multi-String Editor opens.

4. Type W3SVC at the end of the list of services.W3SVC is the setting that makes Windows Media server components dependent on Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS).

5. Restart the computer.

NotesYou must set Windows Media component services to be dependent on the Web service so that the Web service can bind to port 80. If you do not set this dependency, then Windows Media server components might bind to port 80 first, and the Web server will not function properly. These steps are specific to using Windows Media Services with IIS 4.0 or later. If you use Windows Media Services with a different Web server, check the documentation for that server for instructions on setting dependencies.

Your ability to make changes to the registry by using Registry Editor depends on your access permissions. Incorrectly editing the registry can severely damage your system. Before making changes to the registry, back up any valued data on the computer.

To create a new MIME type in IIS1. In Internet Services Manager, select the server computer.2. Right-click Default Web Site, and then on the pull-down menu, click

Properties.The Default Web Site Properties dialog box appears.

3. Click the HTTP Headers tab.4. Under MIME Map, click File Types.

The File Types dialog box appears.5. Click New Type.6. In the File Type dialog box, for Associated Extension, type ASF, and for

Content Type (MIME), type video/x-ms-asf.7. In the File Types dialog box, click New Type.8. In the File Type dialog box, for Associated Extension, type ASX, and for

Content Type (MIME), type video/x-ms-asf.9. Restart the server.

NoteThis procedure assumes that Windows Media server components and Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS) do not share a server computer. If you install Windows Media server components after you install IIS, Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (MIME) types for IIS are created automatically. Creating the MIME types for the Default Web Site affects all Web sites. These instructions can be used to create the MIME types for any Web sites on the server.

To back up Windows Media Services programs1. Archive the .nsp file for the program to a backup directory.

The .nsp file for the program is not archived by default and must be saved manually. For more information, see To save a program.

2. Run Microsoft Windows Backup.

NoteThis procedure is required to back up Windows Media Services programs. Other Windows Media server data can be backed up by running Windows backup only.

To restore Windows Media Services programs1. Verify that you have performed the steps in To back up Windows Media Services

programs.2. Run Microsoft Windows Restore.

The following files will not be restored:%SystemRoot%\system32\Windows Media\Server\ASDB\mdsas.mdb%SystemRoot%\system32\Windows Media\Server\ASDB\mdsas.ldb

3. In Microsoft Windows 2000 Server Computer Management, stop any Windows Media component services that are running.

4. Delete all files in the following directories:%SystemRoot%\system32\Windows Media\Server\ASDB%SystemRoot%\system32\Windows Media\Server\ASDB\NSP

5. Copy the file Mdsas.1st to the ASDB directory and rename it to Mdsas.mdb.Copy "%SystemRoot%\system32\Windows Media\Server\mdsas.1ST" "%SystemRoot%\system32\Windows Media\Server\ASDB\mdsas.mdb"

6. In the Services console, restart the Windows Media component services.7. Using Windows Media Administrator, restore the previously archived .nsp file

for the program data. For more information, see To restore a saved program.

Starting Windows Media AdministratorWhen you start Windows Media Administrator, it tries to connect to the Windows Media server on the local computer. If Windows Media Administrator is on a computer that does not contain Windows Media server components, you must add a Windows Media server to the server list. This method is also used to change Windows Media Administrator connections between Windows Media servers.

Using Windows Media server components with firewalls

If you have problems communicating through your firewall, you can open different ports on it. Consult your firewall vendor and the following table to decide if you need to adjust your firewall to accept ASF streams from Windows Media Services. This table is designed from the perspective of a client inside a firewall that is receiving ASF streams from a Windows Media server outside the firewall. Port In is the port that the server uses to get past the firewall. Port Out is the port that Microsoft Windows Media Player uses to communicate with the server.

Protocol Port In Port OutMMS (multicast) IP address 224.0.0.1—

239.255.255.2551— 65000

MMS-UDP (unicast) 1755 (TCP) 1024— 5000 (UDP) MMS-TCP (unicast) 1755 (TCP) 1755 (TCP)HTTP 80MSBD(1) 7007 (TCP) or any port that

you create for communications between the server and Windows Media Encoder that does not use DCOM

7007 (TCP)

DCOM (2) 135 (TCP)(1) Except when one Windows Media server is distributing a stream from another Windows Media server and that server is already using port 7007. The first connection would be on port 7007, but the next connection would be on a random port in the range from 1024 through 5000.

(2) Distributed Component Object Model (DCOM) dynamically allocates one port per communication. To enable all DCOM communication to pass through the firewall, allocate ports equal to the number of simultaneous DCOM communications through the firewall. For each communication, open the UDP and TCP ports corresponding to the port numbers that will be used. In addition, open TCP/UDP 135, which is used for RPC End Point Mapping. Then create the registry key, "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINES\Software\Microsoft\Rpc\Internet" and identify the ports that have been reserved in this key.

The following example restricts the DCOM port range to 10 ports:

Named Value: PortsType: REG_MULTI_SZSetting: Range of port. Can be multiple lines such as:3001-3010135

Named Value: PortsInternetAvailableType: REG_MULTI_SZSetting:"Y"

Named Value: UseInternetPortsType: REG_MULTI_SZSetting:"Y"

NoteA computer outside the firewall must be able to access a computer inside the firewall using its IP address. Address translation and proxy use are not allowed.

Configuring a Windows Media server with a firewallWhen you install Windows Media server components, the default setup enables MMS streaming for the unicast and station services. MMS uses either UDP or TCP, depending on which protocol is specified; Windows Media Administrator uses DCOM to communicate with Windows Media server components. This means that you can stream ASF content to anyone on your intranet via unicast. To stream ASF content over your intranet, your network routers must be multicast-enabled; otherwise, a multicast stream cannot pass beyond the local segment from which it originated.

Scenario 1: Windows Media server and clients are inside a firewall

Client

Client

Client

Client

Windows Media server

Corporate LAN

Firewall

Networkrouter

Internet

To restrict Internet access but allow full intranet access to the Windows Mediaserver, place the server behind a firewall. To enable access from the Internet to theWindows Media server, open a port on the firewall.

A firewall separates the corporate local area network from the Internet in this typical corporate network scenario.

Scenario 2: Windows Media server and clients are outside a firewall

CorporateLAN

Firewall

Windows Media server

Networkrouter

Client

Client

Internet

Client

Client

To allow Windows Media clients on the Internet to connect to the WindowsMedia server, place the Windows Media server outside the corporate firewall.

If you want to allow clients on the Internet to stream ASF content from a Windows Media server, place that server outside the corporate firewall. If you place the Windows Media server inside the corporate firewall, you must open a specific port on your firewall to allow clients on the Internet to communicate with the server. In the scenario shown in the preceding diagram, clients can communicate with the Windows Media server using the standard Windows Media Services protocols.

Scenario 3: Windows Media server and clients are separated by a firewall

Client

Client

Client

Client

Corporate LAN

Firewall

Networkrouter

Internet

Windows Media server

To enable Windows Media clients to receive ASF streams from a Windows Mediaserver outside the firewall, enable HTTP streaming on the Windows Media server.ASF streams will pass through port 80, which is open to all HTTP streaming.

If you want to stream content to clients that are behind a firewall, you must stream it through an open port on the firewall. You can change the port that the Windows Media server uses to deliver MMS streams (usually port 1755), or you can switch the Windows Media server to use HTTP streaming. The default for HTTP streaming is port 80. For more information, see Using HTTP streaming.

Configuring Windows Media Player when Windows Media server and clients are separated by a firewallBy default, Windows Media Player uses the proxy settings configured in your Web browser to access ASF streams from behind a firewall. If Internet Explorer 5 is configured to automatically detect the network proxy, Windows Media Player will also use auto-detection to find the proxy information after you install it. If auto-detection is successful, Windows Media Player will use the same proxy server as the Web browser to access content from behind a firewall. If auto-detection cannot determine the browser proxy settings, you must manually configure the proxy settings in Windows Media Player.

If the server used as the proxy agent is changed, Windows Media Player cannot establish a connection to the new proxy server. If it has been at least one week since Windows Media Player ran auto-detection to find browser proxy settings, the next time Windows Media Player is used to stream, it will again run auto-detection to find and configure the new proxy settings.

If you want Windows Media Player to run auto-detection prior to the seven-day interval, select No proxy and then select Use browser proxy settings for HTTP streaming on the Advanced playback settings tab in Windows Media Player. If you still encounter problems with auto-detection, select Use proxy and configure the proxy to be used.

Using HTTP streamingHTTP streaming is useful for delivering a stream through a firewall because HTTP streaming usually uses port 80 and most firewalls do not block port 80. Windows Media server components is configured to use MMS streaming by default. However, you can configure Windows Media server components to use HTTP streaming. HTTP streaming is the suggested method for streaming ASF content through a firewall.

Two services are included in the Windows Media server components—the Windows Media Unicast service and the Windows Media Station service. If you change Windows Media server components to use HTTP streaming, you must select which of these services will use it; the Windows Media Unicast and Windows Media Station services cannot bind to the same port, so they must be configured differently.

Changing the port to which the HTTP service binds The HTTP service in IIS, by default, attempts to bind to port 80. If Windows Media server components share a server computer with a Web server and Windows Media server components are enabled for HTTP streaming, Windows Media server components and the Web server can conflict when binding to port 80.

Changing the port to which the HTTP service binds can solve port conflicts, but it also can defeat the purpose of using the HTTP service. Be aware that most incoming HTTP data attempts to enter through port 80. If this data cannot enter through port 80, then it is lost.

Using Windows Media server components and IIS on the same server

Windows Media server components and Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS) can coexist on a computer when you use their default values: the Windows Media Unicast service binds to port 1755, the Windows Media Station service binds to port 7007, and IIS binds to port 80.

The Windows Media Unicast or Windows Media Station service must have an IP address available on port 80 to stream ASF content via HTTP. Windows Media server components cannot stream ASF content via HTTP when IIS 3.0 or earlier is installed on the server because IIS binds to port 80 on all available IP addresses. However, with IIS 4.0 or later, you can specify an IP address that IIS can use when it binds to port 80 to serve HTTP streams; the Windows Media Unicast or Windows Media Station service can then use another available IP address to stream ASF content via HTTP. To enable HTTP streaming for the Windows Media Unicast or Windows Media Station service, Web sites running under IIS 4.0 or later must not be configured to use all unassigned IP addresses.

To use HTTP streaming when Windows Media server components and IIS 4.0 or later are installed on the same computer, you require the following:

· At least two IP addresses bound to your network card.· Unique Domain Name Server (DNS) A resource records for the Windows Media

server IP address and the IIS server IP address.

NoteYou can enable HTTP streaming for the Windows Media Unicast service or Windows Media Station service on the Server Properties page in Windows Media Administrator.

Defining Windows Media MIME types in IISMultipurpose Internet Mail Extension (MIME) types must be defined on a Web server so that the server will know what to do when it receives requests for unknown file extensions, such as .asf and .asx. Without this record, the Web server cannot interpret a file.

Running Windows Backup with Windows Media Services

When the Windows Media Program service is running, the program database is locked for exclusive use and cannot be accessed by Microsoft Windows Backup. When you restore the system after running Microsoft Windows Backup, the following program configuration files will not be restored:

%SystemRoot%\system32\Windows Media\Server\ASDB\mdsas.mdb%SystemRoot%\system32\Windows Media\Server\ASDB\mdsas.ldbTo back up and restore your program configuration information correctly, perform the following procedures:

· To back up Windows Media Services programs· To restore Windows Media Services programs