Media Server
Installation and configuration.

1. Media Server and Player.

After you have downloaded and run the installation program for Unreal Media Server , the service named UMediaServer should be running and listening on TCP port 5119. 

The installation program sets up a sample video clip by creating a virtual folder called MediaRoot, mapping this folder to the program installation directory ("Program Files\Unreal Streaming\MediaRoot" by default) and placing file "test.avi" in latter directory.

Streaming Media Player needs to be installed to play streaming media.
Start the player and enter IP address or machine name of the Media Server computer. If you choose TCP as a transport protocol, make sure there are no firewalls between client and server machines that block port 5119. If this particular port is blocked, use Media Server Configuration tool, which is a part of Media Server installation, to change this port number. If all TCP traffic is blocked, your only choice is to connect via HTTP(s). Once the client computer can reach the server computer, you should be able to stream the test file.

You can also play using any player that supports MMS, such as Windows Media Player. Assuming the server IP address is 192.168.0.100, you need to enter the following into "Open URL" line: mms://192.168.0.100:5119/mediaroot/test.avi

Using Media Server Configuration tool, you can create virtual folders and map them to the different physical locations on the server machine.
Alternatively, the physical location can be anywhere in the server machine's LAN. To make this work, several steps should be done.

  • Win 2000: You will need to map network drive, such that the remote folder will be treated as a local folder.
    Win XP: Browse to network folder.
  • The security should be setup such that the account, under which UMediaServer runs, has access to this network drive. By default, UMediaServer runs under local system account. You will need to have an account that can access this network drive, and make UMediaServer service run under this account. Use "control panel - services - UMediaServer properties" to change the account.

Once virtual folder is accessible by MediaServer, the files in this folder can be streamed to the clients. Users will need to specify this folder in Streaming Media Player. Virtual folder can be configured to require internal or session-based authentication. Refer to the architecture page to learn more.

Virtual folder can be configured to allow or prohibit playlist behavior. If playlist behavior is allowed, clients will be able to play all the files within virtual folder in a non-stop mode. Configuration program allows to multicast the content of virtual folder. Clients then can receive media in RTP Multicast mode. Refer to the architecture page to learn about multicast.

Configuration program also allows creating so called "Live Broadcasts". These are logical links to live Audio/Video sources, previously configured with Live Server. Live broadcasts can be static (In this case the Media Server initiates connection to Live Server on TCP port 5120), dynamic (Live Server initiates connection to Media Server on configurable TCP port) or delegate (this is a link to another live broadcast configured on another Media Server). The choice between static and dynamic live broadcasts depends on your network infrastructure. For example, if Live Server runs behind NAT firewall, on the computer with periodically changing IP address, then outside Media Server may not always be able to initiate a connection to Live Server. Use dynamic live broadcast in this case. Use delegate live broadcasts to minimize unicast traffic over low-bandwidth segments of your network.

If you have Microsoft IIS running on the Media Server computer, then it is recommended to install IIS extension for streaming (UHTTPProxy). During the installation please do not change the name of the virtual folder. After the installation make sure that the IIS virtual folder UHTTPProxy allows anonymous access. When you have installed IIS extension for streaming, the Media Server will be able to stream media content over HTTP. With additional installation of SSL certificate on your IIS you will be able to stream over HTTPS.

2. Live Server

Live source server should be installed on the computer that has live media sources attached to it. Live media sources include: digital cameras, microphones, analog video sources (analog camera or TV) connected to Video card or to Video Capture card that supports DirectShow interface. There can be multiple live sources attached to a single computer. Hardware encoding appliances with DirectShow support are also supported. 
Download and run the installation program for Unreal Live Server . The service named ULiveServer should be running and listening on TCP port 5120. Use Live Server configuration tool to add and configure a source for your live media content, such as camera/microphone/other. You can also configure access restrictions based on Media Server IP addresses.
It's very important to understand that requests to Live Server will be coming from Media Server computer, not from the client computers. Media Server will send requests to Live Server based on "Live Broadcast" settings, configured with Media Server. In case of static live broadcast, the Media Server will first initiate a TCP (port 5120) connection to Live Server. Once a connection is established, the Media Server will send request for live media. In case of dynamic live broadcast, the Media Server will expect the Live Server to initiate a connection. Live Server configuration tool allows initiating a connection to Media Server on configurable TCP port.
The clients should be able to playback the live source, provided they know the alias of the live source (or IP address of Live Server machine, and live source ID) and Media Server IP address.
Live Server also allows recording of Audio/Video sources to ASF files, based on scheduler or motion/beat detection, independently of streaming.

3. Creating a link to media resource

The most comfortable way for the users to access remote media is to click on a link in the Web browser. Setup of Streaming Media Player registers a custom URL protocol on user's machine. This is a UMS protocol, allowing launching Streaming Media Player directly from the hyperlink on the Web page. The person, who configures the Media Server, is responsible for creation of these links and putting them to the web pages.

The link can refer only to File, Playlist or Alias of the live source. Direct access to the live source is not allowed in the link.
Link should consist of 4 parts:

  1. "ums:\\" or "ums://".
  2. Transport protocol followed by semicolon - TCP, HTTP, HTTPS, RTP.
  3. Media Server IP address followed by backslash. If no port is specified, default port corresponding to the transport protocol will be used for the connection. Default TCP port is 5119, default HTTP port is 80 and default HTTPS port is 443. In case of RTP delivery, TCP port needs to be specified.
  4. Actual media name. In no slash or backslash is found in the name, the name will be treated as the Alias of the live broadcast. Otherwise: If the word "playlist\" is found in the name, the name will be treated as a playlist. Otherwise the name will be treated as filename.

The hyperlink for playing a file might look like this:
<A HREF="ums:\\TCP:207.68.171.244:5127\Media\File.avi">File.avi</A>.
The hyperlink for playing a live broadcast might look like this:
<A HREF="ums:\\HTTP:207.68.171.244\WebCam">WebCam</A>
or like this, if playing on LAN:
<A HREF="ums:\\RTP:207.68.171.244:5127\WebCam">WebCam</A>.
The hyperlink for playing a playlist might look like this:
<A HREF="ums:\\TCP:207.68.171.244:5127\playlist\Media">Media virtual folder</A>

For previewing local live sources, specify ums:\\localpreview:ID, where ID is local live source ID.

The part shown in brown is the actual UMS link.
This link can alternatively be used on the local user's machine in two ways:
Passing it as a parameter to Streaming media player:
StreamingMediaPlayer.exe ums:\\TCP:207.68.171.244:5127\Media\File.avi
 Running the link alone:
ums:\\TCP:207.68.171.244:5127\Media\File.avi
 In all the described cases Streaming media player will launch and play remote media.

4. Creating MMS links

MMS links are a lot like UMS links, with the exception of not specifying the network protocol right before IP address. Media Server Configuration program allows creating MMS playlists containing MMS links for any virtual folder. Use MMS links for "Open URL" option in any MMS-capable player.

It is recommended to use forward slashes in MMS links.
Assuming Media Server's port for client connections was changed from default 5119 to 5127,
MMS link for playing a file named "File.avi", residing in virtual fiolder named "Media", looks like this:
mms://207.68.171.244:5127/media/File.avi
MMS link for playing a live broadcast named "Webcam" looks like this:
mms://207.68.171.244:5127/WebCam



 












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