TOPIC
Streaming is a service that sends live and stored multimedia over a network at a rate that lets a client computer play the media in real time. QuickTime Streaming Server streams QuickTime-compatible media to client applications that support QuickTime, including a Web browser with the QuickTime plug-in.
DISCUSSION
You can use QuickTime Streaming Server to: You can install QuickTime Streaming Server when you install Mac OS X Server release 1.1, or you can install it later. To install it later, use the Mac OS X Server installer and be sure to check the option to install QuickTime Streaming Server. QuickTime Streaming Server software includes: Protocols Used for Streaming: QuickTime Streaming Server uses standard Internet protocols: Real-Time Protocol (RTP), Real-Time Streaming Protocol (RTSP), and Session Description Protocol (SDP). RTP sends data from the server to a client computer. RTSP controls the server from the client computer. It allows a stream to be started and stopped, much the way a VCR can be started and stopped. SDP is used to reflect a multicast. For information on the files you can stream, see the section "File Formats and Compression Methods Compatible for Streaming." Server Configuration: Your server must have the following: Managing QuickTime Streaming Services: You use QuickTimeStreamingAdmin.app to start or stop streaming services, to manage streaming traffic, and to monitor streaming activity. To open QuickTime Streaming Server Administration, choose QuickTime Streaming Admin from the Apple menu. Starting or Stopping Streaming Services To start streaming services, open Quick Time Streaming Server Administration and click Start Server in the Settings panel. To stop streaming services, click Stop Server. If there are active connections to the streaming server, you see a message. You can choose to stop streaming immediately or wait until there aren't any active connections. If you choose to wait until there aren't any active connections, then no new connections will be established. If streaming service does not start up:
2. Check to be sure QuickTime Streaming Server is in the usr/sbin/QuickTimeStreamingServer directory. The file isn't visible unless you look for it from Terminal.app. If it is not there, you need to reinstall QuickTime Streaming Server. (Terminal.app in located the /System/Administration directory.) Making Multimedia Available for Streaming: When QuickTime Streaming Server is installed, a folder named Movies is created automatically in the /Local/Library/QuickTimeStreaming/ directory. Users who connect to your streaming server can stream any multimedia files located this folder. To use a different folder for streamed media, click the folder button in the Quick Time Streaming Server Settings panel. You can choose only one folder for streaming. All items in the folder you choose are available for streaming, so be sure to check the contents of the folder before you make it available for streaming services. For best performance, you can put media files on two or more hard disks. But because you can use only one folder for streaming, you need to create a symbolic link from the streamed media folder to the actual location of the media files. For information on creating a symbolic link, see the man pages for the "ln" command. Setting Up Streaming Capacity: You use Quick Time Streaming Server Administration to limit the number of connections and to set the maximum throughput allotted for streaming services. If you use your server for other services in addition to streaming, you may want to control how much of your server's capacity is dedicated to streaming. Monitoring Server Activity: You can track peak periods of usage by monitoring server activity. To view server activity, choose Show Activity Monitor from the Server menu. You can change the range of each histogram by clicking the low and high range buttons. Logging and Viewing Access History: Access history lets you see how many times each media file has been streamed since a particular date and time. To log access history, the Log Access checkbox in the QuickTime Streaming Server Settings panel must be checked. (It is checked by default.) To view Access History, choose Show Access History from the Server menu. If you click the Clear button in the Access History window, information in the access log is copied to another file, named by date. If you don't clear the log, then access information older than one week is cleared automatically. If you want to delete the cleared access information, drag the dated file to the Trash. If you want more details about what's being accessed, by whom, and when, you can view the file located at /Local/Library/QuickTimeStreaming/QuickTimeStreamingAccess.log. You may need to write a utility to process the file so you can view a digest of the most important information for your site. For example, you can write a script (using Perl, cshell, or a similar scripting tool) to tally the number of times users from a particular domain connected to the streaming server during a specific time period. Logging and Viewing Error Messages: A log of error messages can help you troubleshoot problems with streaming services. To log errors, open Quick Time Streaming Server Administration and be sure the Log Errors box in the Settings panel has a checkmark in it. (It is checked by default.) To view the error log file, choose Show Error Log from the Server menu. If you click the Clear button in the Error Log window, information in the error log is copied to another file, named by date. If you don't clear the log, then error information older than one week is cleared automatically. If you want to delete the cleared access information, drag the dated file to the Trash. Troubleshooting: You will be able to troubleshoot streaming problems more easily if error logging is turned on. See the previous section, "Logging and Viewing Error Messages." If performance seems slow: If you are using the computer for streaming as well as other services, you may need to limit the number of connections or the throughput available for streaming so that other services do not slow down. If you do not want to reduce the number of streaming connections or the throughput, you may need to move other services to another computer.
2. Put media files on two or more hard disks. But because you can use only one folder for streaming, you need to create symbolic links from the streamed media folder to the actual location of each media file. For more information see the previous section "Making Multimedia Available for Streaming." 3. You may need to expand your server by adding additional hard disks, random-access memory, or Ethernet ports. If streaming service quits unexpectedly:
If multimedia files are not streamed properly, or errors occur during streaming:
2. Check to be sure you have enough random-access memory to support the number of connections or throughput you've set up for streaming. 3. Check to be sure you are not running out of hard-disk space. Preparing Media for Streaming: Any "hinted" QuickTime file can be streamed. You use an application such as MoviePlayer Pro to export media as a hinted QuickTime movie. A hint track contains information about the media file that's needed to stream the file properly. You must use an RTP hint track with QuickTime Streaming Server; other protocols will not work. Each track in a media file must have its own hint track. Files do not need to be self-contained. If files are not self-contained, the files that they reference must also be placed directly on the server (AppleShare aliases will not work). In addition, files must have been prepared from the same volume, and placed on the same volume. (The file name in the hinted movie must be relative to the movie, not an absolute path onto another volume.) Enclosed files can be in "foreign" formats. Reflecting a Multicast: To reflect a multicast, copy the Session Description Protocol (SDP) file that describes the multicast to the streaming media folder you set up previously. You must use RTSP to reflect a multicast; other protocols will not work with QuickTime Streaming Server. When you give your users the URL for the multicast, do not include the sdp extension. For example, if the sdp file is named "greatshow.sdp," the URL you give to your users is: "rstp://yourserver.yourdomain.com/greatshow" Note: When you export a hinted streaming movie using MoviePlayer, you have an option to create an SDP file. This SDP file is unrelated to the SDP file needed to reflect a multicast. Do not make this type of SDP file and place it in the server directory. It will not work. File Formats and Compression Methods Compatible with Streaming: File Formats: Video: QuickTime, AVI Audio: AIFF/AIFC, Sound Designer II, System 7 Sound, uLaw (AU), WAV MIDI: Karaoke MIDI, Standard MIDI Compression-Decompression Methods (CODECs) Preferred video compressors: Preferred audio compressors: Supported video compressors: Supported audio compressors |
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| Document Information | |
| Product Area: | Mac OS System Software |
| Category: | Mac OS X Server |
| Sub Category: | QuickTime Streaming |
| Keywords: | kmosXserver |
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