Apple Network Card QuickTime Streaming Server Darwin Streaming Server User Manual

QuickTime  
Streaming Server  
Darwin  
Streaming Server  
Administrator’s Guide  
 
Preface  
What Is Streaming?  
About Streaming Servers  
Live Versus On-Demand Delivery  
Simple Setup for Live Video  
7
7
8
8
How Does Streaming Work?  
Multicast Versus Unicast 10  
Relaying Streamed Media 11  
9
1
Setup Overview 15  
Hardware and Software 16  
Client Computer Requirements 16  
Testing Your Setup 19  
2
Managing Your Streaming Server 21  
User Interface 21  
Working With Streaming Server Admin 21  
3
 
Viewing Streaming Status 22  
Starting or Stopping Streaming Service 22  
Working With Connected Users 22  
Changing Server Settings 23  
Controlling QuickTime Broadcaster Remotely 23  
Working With General Settings 24  
Working With Port Settings 25  
Working With Log Settings 25  
Viewing Error Logs and Access History 26  
Media 27  
About Instant-On Streaming 27  
Preparing Prerecorded Media 27  
Preparing Audio 28  
Streaming Media Files With Multiple Sources 28  
Streaming File Formats Like .avi, .text, and .wav 28  
Exporting a QuickTime Movie as a Hinted Movie 29  
Improving the Performance of Hinted Movies 30  
Session Description Protocol (SDP) Files 30  
Streaming Live Media 31  
Viewing Streamed Media From a Client Computer 31  
Setting Up a Web Page With Streamed Media 32  
Creating Links to MP3 Playlists 33  
Bandwidth Considerations 33  
Playlists 34  
Using Playlists to Broadcast Prerecorded Media 34  
Working With Playlist Settings 34  
Starting and Stopping Playlists 35  
Creating a Playlist 35  
Changing a Playlist 36  
Deleting a Playlist 36  
Relays 37  
Working With Relay Settings 37  
Setting Up Relays 38  
Turning a Relay On or Off 39  
4
Contents  
 
Security 39  
Resetting the Streaming Server Admin User Name and Password 39  
Controlling Access to Streamed Media 40  
Creating an Access File 40  
What Clients Need to Access Protected Media 42  
Adding User Accounts and Passwords 42  
Adding or Deleting Groups 42  
Making Changes to the User or Group File 42  
Installing SSL 43  
Using Automatic Unicast (Announce) With QTSS or DSS on a Separate Computer 43  
Executing a Command With sudo 44  
Streaming on Port 80 45  
Firewalls and Networks With Address Translation 45  
Problems 45  
Streaming Server Admin Is Not Responding 46  
The Server Doesn’t Start Up or Quits Unexpectedly 46  
The Streaming Server Computer Crashes or Is Restarted 46  
Media Files Do Not Stream Properly 46  
Streaming Performance Seems Slow 47  
Users Can’t Connect to Your Broadcast 47  
You’re Having Problems With Playlists 48  
How do I kill and restart the QuickTime Streaming Server processes in Mac OS X Server?  
How do I get QTSS to re-read its preferences without killing or restarting the server? 52  
How do I configure QTSS to host streams from multiple user media directories? 52  
3
Setup Example 55  
Streaming Presentations—Live and On Demand 55  
Contents  
5
 
Shooting the Live Presentation 66  
Archiving the Live Presentation 66  
Glossary 69  
Index 77  
6
Contents  
 
P R E F A C E  
QuickTime Streaming  
The focus of this guide is QuickTime Streaming Server (QTSS) and Darwin Streaming Server  
(DSS). But before getting into the details of QTSS and DSS, it may be helpful to learn what  
streaming is all about and to get an overview of the total streaming solution provided by the  
QuickTime suite of products.  
What Is Streaming?  
Streaming delivers media from a server over a network to a client in real time, from modem  
rates to broadband. No file is ever downloaded to a viewer’s hard drive. Media is played by  
the client software as it is delivered.  
With QuickTime streaming you can deliver  
m broadcasts of live events in real time  
m video on demand  
m playlist broadcasts of prerecorded content  
About Streaming Servers  
If you want to send streams to people over the Internet or a local network, you need a  
streaming server. Just as you need a web server for web pages, and a mail server for email  
messages, you need a streaming server to send real-time streams.  
The streaming server transmits video and audio streams to individuals in response to  
requests from those individuals using client software such as QuickTime Player. The requests  
are handled using Real-Time Streaming Protocol (RTSP), a protocol for controlling a stream  
of real-time multimedia content. The streams are sent using Real-Time Transport Protocol  
(RTP), a transport protocol used for transmitting real-time multimedia content over  
networks. A streaming server can create streams from QuickTime movies stored on a disk. It  
can also send copies of any live streams to which it has access.  
7
 
                   
For small audiences, the same computer can run web server software, mail server software,  
and streaming server software. For larger audiences, one or more computers typically are  
dedicated to acting purely as streaming servers.  
Live Versus On-Demand Delivery  
Delivery options for real-time streaming media are divided into two categories: live and  
on demand. You can serve both from QuickTime Streaming Server and from Darwin  
Streaming Server.  
Live events, such as concerts, speeches, and lectures, are commonly streamed over the  
Internet as they happen with the assistance of broadcasting software, such as QuickTime  
Broadcaster. The broadcasting software encodes a live source, such as video from a camera,  
in real time and delivers the resulting stream to the server. The server then serves, or  
“reflects,” the live stream to clients.  
Regardless of when different customers connect to the stream, each sees the same point in  
the stream at the same time. This live experience can be simulated with recorded content  
by broadcasting from an archive source such as a tape deck or creating playlists of media on  
the server.  
For an on-demand delivery experience, such as a movie or an archived lecture, each  
customer initiates the stream from the beginning, so no customer ever comes in “late” to the  
stream. No broadcasting software is required in this case.  
Simple Setup for Live Video  
The illustration below shows a setup for streaming live video and audio. (Most video cameras  
have a built-in microphone.) You can stream audio only using a microphone, mixer, and  
other appropriate audio equipment.  
Broadcaster  
Streaming server  
8
Preface  
 
             
A PowerBook G4 with QuickTime Broadcaster software captures and encodes video and  
audio. The encoded signal is sent over an Internet Protocol (IP) network to a server  
computer running QTSS or DSS software. QTSS or DSS on the server computer sends the  
signal over the Internet or a local network to client computers that tune in using QuickTime  
Player.  
You can also run QuickTime Broadcaster and QTSS or DSS on the same computer. If you are  
broadcasting to a large audience (more than, say, 100), however, Apple recommends that you  
run QuickTime Broadcaster and QTSS or DSS on separate computers.  
How Does Streaming Work?  
When you watch and listen to cable or over-the-air media transmissions on television or  
radio, the cable or electromagnetic wavelengths used are dedicated to that transmission.  
Those transmissions are mostly uncompressed and so consume large amounts of  
transmission bandwidth. But that’s not a problem, because they don’t have to compete with  
other transmissions within the frequency over which they’re broadcast.  
When you send that same media over the Internet, the bandwidth used is no longer  
dedicated to only that transmission stream. The media now has to share extremely limited  
bandwidth with thousands, potentially millions, of other transmissions traveling back and  
forth over the Internet.  
Multimedia sent over the Internet is therefore encoded and compressed for transmission.  
The resulting files are saved in a specific location, and streaming server software such as  
QuickTime Streaming Server or Darwin Streaming Server is used to send the media over the  
Internet to client computers.  
Streamed media can be viewed by both Macintosh and Windows users using QuickTime  
Player (available free on the Apple web site) or any other application that supports  
QuickTime or standard MPEG-4 files. Streams can also be set up so that users can view them  
from within a web browser when the QuickTime plug-in is installed.  
When a user starts to play streamed media through a web page, the QuickTime plug-in sends  
a request to the streaming server. The server responds by sending the multimedia content to  
the client computer.  
The type of multimedia that is sent to the client computer depends on what content you  
specified on the web page. If you linked to a playlist created on the streaming server, that’s  
sent. If you linked to a QuickTime movie in the specified media directory, that movie is sent.  
If you linked to a live broadcast, that’s sent.  
QuickTime Streaming  
9
 
                         
Multicast Versus Unicast  
QTSS and DSS support both multicast and unicast network transport to deliver streaming  
media.  
In a multicast, a single stream is shared among the clients (see illustration). Each client “tunes  
in” to the stream much as a radio tunes in to an FM broadcast. Although this technique  
reduces network congestion, it does require a network that either has access to the multicast  
backbone, otherwise called the Mbone, for content generally distributed over the Internet, or  
is multicast enabled for content distributed within a contained private network.  
Multicast  
In a unicast, each client initiates its own stream, resulting in the generation of many one-to-  
one connections between client and server (see illustration). Many clients connected via  
unicast to a stream in a local network can result in heavy network traffic. But this technique is  
the most reliable for delivery over the Internet since no special transport support is required.  
Unicast  
10 Preface  
 
     
Relaying Streamed Media  
QuickTime Streaming Server or Darwin Streaming Server can be configured as a relay. A relay  
listens to an incoming stream and then forwards that stream to one or more destinations. A  
relay can reduce Internet bandwidth consumption. Relays can be useful in special broadcast  
situations, especially if numerous viewers in different locations want to tune in.  
Large organizations can often make good use of relays. For example, if a company regularly  
broadcasts a quarterly presentation from the CEO, that broadcast can be relayed from  
headquarters to branch offices.  
Broadcaster  
Destination  
Clients  
Internet  
Relay  
Destination  
Clients  
Company headquarters  
Branch offices  
The CEO’s presentation is captured live with a video camera. The audio and video from the  
camera are encoded using QuickTime Broadcaster on a Mac OS X computer. A Mac OS X  
Server computer with QuickTime Streaming Server software acts as the relay computer and  
relays the broadcast of the CEO’s presentation over the Internet to destination computers  
serving the company’s branch offices. Employees of the company using client computers  
tune in to the destination computers to hear and watch the CEO’s presentation.  
For more detailed information about setting up streamed media, see the appropriate topics  
in this manual.  
The Total Streaming Solution  
The QuickTime suite of products is unique in that it provides the software you need for end-  
to-end production, transmission, and reception of streamed media. Each product is designed  
from start to finish for optimum compatibility with every other component in the suite.  
QuickTime Streaming 11  
 
                   
The QuickTime Suite  
The QuickTime suite is made up of the following components:  
QuickTime Player: The free QuickTime Player is an easy-to-use application for playing,  
interacting with, or viewing any video, audio, virtual reality (VR), or graphics file that is  
compatible with QuickTime.  
QuickTime Pro: This powerful application, the “Pro” version of QuickTime Player,  
provides an abundance of media authoring capabilities. From simple slide shows to complex  
video and audio encoding, Media Skin creation, automation of repetitive production  
workflow tasks, and assembly of hundreds of different media types into one movie file,  
QuickTime Pro can do it all.  
QuickTime Broadcaster: Combining the power of QuickTime with legendary Apple ease  
of use, QuickTime Broadcaster allows just about anyone to produce a live broadcast event.  
From a backyard birthday party to a corporate keynote speech, QuickTime Broadcaster  
allows anyone with an Internet connection to attend virtually. This free download, also  
included with Mac OS X Server version 10.2, will capture and encode QuickTime content,  
including MPEG-4, for live streaming via the web. QuickTime Broadcaster supports most  
codecs supported by QuickTime and allows users to create custom settings.  
QuickTime Streaming Server: The open-source, standards-based QuickTime Streaming  
Server, included with Mac OS X Server version 10.2, delivers media either in real time or on  
demand over the Internet with no per-stream license fee.  
Darwin Streaming Server: This free, open-source version of QuickTime Streaming  
Server supports popular enterprise platforms such as Linux, Solaris, and Windows NT/2000.  
It is available for download in source or binary form and can be ported to other platforms by  
modifying a few platform-specific source files.  
More About QTSS and DSS  
QuickTime Streaming Server (QTSS) 4 and Darwin Streaming Server (DSS) 4 let you deliver  
media over the Internet in real time. Users can tune in to broadcasts of live or prerecorded  
media, or they can view prerecorded media on demand. Users see streamed media as soon  
as it reaches the computer; they don’t have to wait to download files.  
Features of QTSS and DSS 4 include  
m Native MPEG-4 streaming: Standard hinted MPEG-4 files can be served directly, without  
being converted to .mov files.  
m MP3 audio streaming: You can create your own Internet radio station. Now serve MP3  
files to clients that support MP3 streaming via HTTP, such as iTunes, WinAmp, and  
RealPlayer.  
m An even easier-to-use web-based admin: You can benefit from a whole new design, plus  
new features such as a setup assistant and easy administration of relays between  
streaming servers.  
12 Preface  
 
                             
m Improved stream quality: Enhancements to Apple skip-protection technology (patent  
pending)—a collection of quality-of-service features-—result in even better stream quality.  
m Performance enhancements: Overall stability and performance of the server has been  
improved.  
m Authentication: Two types of authentication, digest and basic, let you control access to  
protected media.  
m Server-side playlists: You can stream a set of media files as if it were a live broadcast. This  
can be ideal for creating and managing a virtual radio or television station.  
m Relay support: You can easily set up several layers of servers to broadcast streams to a  
virtually unlimited number of clients.  
QTSS and DSS 4.1 added these features:  
m Support for Instant-On: Viewers with a broadband connection watching a streaming  
video with QuickTime 6 and later will benefit from Instant-On, an advance in Apple skip-  
protection technology (patent pending) that dramatically improves the viewing  
experience by playing video and audio streams instantaneously.  
m Integrated Broadcaster administration: A new dialog linked from the General Settings  
page provides an easy way to set up or change the user name and password for  
QuickTime Broadcaster. A Broadcast Settings pane allows remote operation of QuickTime  
Broadcaster (on Mac OS X Server version 10.2 or later).  
For More Information  
Additional QuickTime streaming resources are available. These include classes, mailing lists,  
and frequently asked questions (FAQs).  
m The QuickTime Streaming Server product page  
key features, recent downloads, and minimum requirements, with links to additional  
support pages.  
m The public source web site (http://developer.apple.com/darwin/projects/streaming/)  
provides access to Darwin Streaming Server source code as well as access to the public  
Concurrent Version System (CVS) archive and developer information. Be sure to read the  
FAQs linked from this page.  
macosxserver/) provides links to many useful Knowledge Base articles on all of the  
services that ship with Mac OS X Server, including QuickTime Streaming Server and  
Apache. It also provides links to downloadable PDFs of Getting Started With Mac OS X  
Server and Mac OS X Server Administrator’s Guide.  
QuickTime Streaming 13  
 
                                           
m The QuickTime Streaming course takes an in-depth look at QuickTime Streaming Server  
and Darwin Streaming Server by teaching system administrators and QuickTime authors  
the details behind real-time streaming. For more information, see the Resources section  
of the QuickTime Streaming Server product page  
(http://www.apple.com/quicktime/products/qtss/).  
m The best-selling QuickTime for the Web is an excellent hands-on guide. This Apple  
QuickTime Developer Series book shows how to integrate video, recorded sound, Flash  
animation, virtual reality, MIDI, text, still images, live streams, games, and user interactivity  
into a web site. The companion CD-ROM includes QuickTime Pro and a full set of  
development tools for both Windows and Macintosh. Published by Morgan Kaufmann,  
this award-winning book is featured with other useful titles on the QuickTime  
third edition for the most up-to-date information.  
m The Apple Discussions area within the AppleCare support web site  
QuickTime Streaming Server issues. Navigate to the Mac OS X Server section and then  
to QuickTime Streaming Server. You can post messages and view posts from other  
registered users.  
users and developers. Actively followed by Apple engineers, these lists are an excellent  
resource for novice and advanced users alike. If you want to subscribe, click “Lists hosted  
on this site,” and then click “streaming-server users” or “streaming-server developers,”  
and sign up. You can also search through the archives of both lists.  
m The QuickTime Services web site (http://www.apple.com/quicktime/tools_tips/services/)  
lists streaming service providers. Apple partners listed provide services ranging from  
content delivery and encoding to authoring and webcasting.  
m If you are an advanced user, you may want to review the Request for Comments (RFC)  
memorandums on the RTP and RTSP standards by visiting the web site of the Internet  
Engineering Task Force (IETF). For RTP, the web address is  
14 Preface  
 
                       
C H A P T E R  
1
1
Getting Started  
Welcome to QuickTime Streaming Server (QTSS) and Darwin Streaming Server (DSS).  
Mac OS X Server includes QTSS in its suite of services. QTSS comes preinstalled on Apple  
server hardware and is optimized for the Power Mac G4. It is also installed if you purchase  
and install the Mac OS X Server software package.  
DSS, based on the same code as QTSS and supported by the open source community, runs  
on non-Mac OS X Server platforms. You can download the source code and compiled  
binaries free of charge from the Apple Darwin Streaming Server web site  
(http://developer.apple.com/darwin/projects/streaming/).  
QTSS and DSS are similar in design and configuration to Apache, the popular web server  
software that is also included in Mac OS X Server. If you have experience working with  
Apache, working with QTSS or DSS will seem familiar.  
This chapter will help you get your streaming server up and running quickly.  
basic setup of Mac OS X Server or other compatible server software. For instructions on  
setting up Mac OS X Server, see “Getting Started With Mac OS X Server” (included on the  
support/manuals.html). For a list of platforms that DSS supports, see “Server Requirements”  
on page 17.  
Setup Overview  
1
If you are currently using an older version of QTSS or DSS, and you want to retain your  
streaming server configuration, note the following:  
If you’re upgrading Mac OS X Server: Your old server settings (including streaming server  
settings) will be automatically preserved. If you want to do a “clean install” and preserve your  
old streaming server settings, back up your “/Library/QuickTimeStreaming/Config/ directory  
and merge back any customized settings.  
15  
 
                   
If you’re upgrading DSS on a non-Mac OS X platform: The new installation overwrites the  
configuration files. If you want to preserve your old settings, back up your “/etc/streaming/”  
directory (for Windows, “c:\Program Files\Darwin Streaming Server\” directory) and merge  
back any customized settings.  
2
If you are setting up QTSS or DSS on a remote server or a server with no display attached (a  
“headless” server such as Xserve), you should already have set up an administrator computer  
from which you can enable and configure the streaming server software using the web-based  
Streaming Server Admin user interface (UI). For information on setting up an administrator  
computer, see Getting Started With Mac OS X Server.  
Important During remote installation, the administrator computer and the server must be  
connected to the same IP subnet. If necessary, you can connect a portable administrator  
computer to the server’s subnet during installation, or install the software over the  
administrator computer’s subnet, and then move the server to its permanent network  
location to finish setting it up.  
3
4
If you want to run DSS on non-Mac OS X Server platforms, download the free installation  
package (http://developer.apple.com/darwin/projects/streaming/).  
If you want to broadcast live content, you can use QuickTime Broadcaster, which is included  
and installed with Mac OS X Server. For setup and other information, see the Apple  
QuickTime Broadcaster web page (http://www.apple.com/quicktime/products/broadcaster/)  
and QuickTime Broadcaster online help.  
Note: QuickTime Broadcaster and QTSS must be running on the same computer if you  
want to control QuickTime Broadcaster remotely. This feature is available only with Mac OS X  
version 10.2 and QTSS 4.1 and later.  
Hardware and Software  
Make sure that your hardware and software meet the following requirements.  
Client Computer Requirements  
QuickTime 6 and a broadband Internet connection are required to take advantage of Instant-  
On using QuickTime Streaming Server or Darwin Streaming Server 4.1 or later.  
Any computer with QuickTime 4 or later installed can view media streamed by the streaming  
server. For best results, Apple recommends QuickTime 6 or later.  
Any ISO-compliant MPEG-4 player can view MPEG-4 files. Streaming MP3 playlists can be  
listened to using iTunes or other compatible streaming MP3 player such as WinAmp.  
You can download QuickTime client software from the QuickTime web site at  
16  
Chapter 1  
 
                                         
Server Requirements  
QuickTime Streaming Server  
You can use the QTSS software on an Xserve, a Macintosh Server G4, a Power Mac G4, a  
Macintosh Server G3, a Power Macintosh G3, an iMac, or an eMac.  
Mac OS X Server version 10.2 or later must be installed. QTSS will also run under Mac OS X  
Desktop version 10.2 and Desktop/Server version 10.1.x, although this configuration is not  
eligible for AppleCare support.  
Apple recommends  
m at least 128 megabytes (MB) of random-access memory (RAM)  
m a minimum of 512 MB of RAM and 500 megahertz or higher processor speed if you  
expect heavy traffic on your server  
m 1 gigabyte of available disk space  
Automatic hardware restart requires an Xserve, Macintosh Server G4, or Power Mac G4  
released in February 2000 or later. Mac OS X Server does not support upgraded PowerPC  
processors.  
Darwin Streaming Server  
DSS binaries and source code are available on the following platforms:  
m Mac OS X  
m RedHat Linux 7.2  
m Solaris 8  
m Windows 2000 and Windows NT  
When installed on Mac OS X, DSS stores some of its binaries in the /usr/sbin/ and /usr/bin  
directories (for Linux and Solaris, /usr/local/sbin/ and /usr/local/bin). If this path is not  
included in your shell’s default $PATH variable, add it to your shell’s environment settings.  
Otherwise, you need to type the full path to the file when starting up any of these binaries  
(for example, /usr/local/sbin/DarwinStreamingServer).  
Live Broadcasting Requirements  
You need the following equipment to stream live audio or video:  
m Source equipment for audio, video, or both, such as a VCR, video camera, and  
microphone.  
m A computer with QuickTime Broadcaster or other broadcast software (PowerPC G4  
recommended for MPEG-4 broadcasting) and a video or audio capture card.  
Note: QuickTime Broadcaster supports video capture from most FireWire-equipped  
sources, including digital video (DV) cameras, some webcams, and DV converter boxes for a  
fast and easy broadcasting process with professional-quality results.  
Getting Started 17  
 
                                           
m 128 MB of RAM (256 MB recommended for professional broadcasting).  
m QuickTime 6 or later.  
Setting Up Your Streaming Server  
Follow these steps to set up your streaming server:  
1
2
From Mac OS X Server, click the Streaming Server Admin icon in the Dock. From a server  
with QuickTime Streaming Server or Darwin Streaming Server installed, open your web  
browser. From a remote computer, open Microsoft Internet Explorer version 4.5 or later,  
Netscape Navigator or Netscape Communicator version 4.x or later, or Mozilla 1.0 or later.  
Enter the URL for your Streaming Server Admin computer. For example:  
where hostnameis the hostname or IP address of your streaming server computer and  
1220is the port number.  
The first time you run Streaming Server Admin, the Setup Assistant prompts you for a user  
name and password.  
Note: For help on administering your streaming server software, select the question mark  
on any Streaming Server Admin page.  
3
After entering and reentering a new user name and password in the Assign Username/  
Password page, click Set Password.  
Note: You will use this user name and password to administer the streaming server.  
The MP3 Broadcast Password page appears.  
4
5
Enter and reenter a new password.  
You will use this password when you send an MP3 stream to your streaming server.  
Click Next.  
The Secure Administration page appears. Enable this option only if you are administering  
your server remotely and have an SSL certificate installed for secure remote administration.  
For more information on secure mode operation, see “Installing SSLon page 43.  
6
7
Click Next.  
want to stream.  
Click Next.  
The Streaming on Port 80 page appears. Enable port 80 if you intend to allow content to be  
viewed from outside the local area network (that is, from the Internet). For information on  
the pros and cons of choosing this option, see “Streaming on Port 80” on page 45.  
18  
Chapter 1  
 
                 
8
9
Click Finish.  
The Streaming Server Admin main screen appears. “Server is Running” should appear at the  
top of the screen.  
If instead “Server is Idle” appears, click the Start Server button to start the server.  
The streaming server is now active and ready to stream media.  
10 Click General Settings. If you want the server to start up each time you power on the server,  
choose Start Server at System Startup and click Save Changes.  
Testing Your Setup  
you can test the server setup. The sample movies can be viewed from a client computer  
Note: The included sample .mp3 file is for use in a streaming MP3 playlist only. It is not a  
hinted QuickTime movie and cannot be streamed on demand via RTSP. For information on  
hinted movies, see “Exporting a QuickTime Movie as a Hinted Movie” on page 29. For  
information on preparing MP3 and other prerecorded media for simulated live streaming,  
see “Preparing Prerecorded Media” on page 27.  
To view a sample movie:  
1
2
Choose Open URL in New Player in the player File menu and enter, for example, the  
following URL:  
rtsp://hostname/sample_300kbit.mov  
where hostnameis the host name or IP address of your server.  
Click OK to request the sample movie.  
This concludes the initial setup of your streaming server software. Additional settings depend  
on your hardware and software, network connections, expected number of viewers, and  
media you want to stream. For guidance in determining these settings and operating your  
streaming server, see Chapter 2, “Managing Your Streaming Server,” Chapter 3, “Setup  
Example,” and the resources listed on page 13.  
Getting Started 19  
 
             
 
C H A P T E R  
2
2
Managing Your Streaming Server  
This chapter provides information you need to complete your setup and manage your  
streaming server. Topics covered include  
m using the administration tool Streaming Server Admin  
m working with media  
m dealing with security issues  
m solving common problems  
The last section answers questions raised by more advanced users.  
User Interface  
To set up and manage QuickTime Streaming Server (QTSS) and Darwin Streaming Server  
(DSS), you use the web-based Streaming Server Admin application. This tool provides a  
standard graphical user interface for all supported platforms and allows you to administer the  
streaming server locally or remotely.  
Working With Streaming Server Admin  
Streaming Server Admin is a web-based user interface (UI) in which you can change general  
settings, create and serve playlists, monitor connected users, view log files, manage  
bandwidth usage, relay a stream from one server to another for scalability, and control  
QuickTime Broadcaster remotely. Because the interface is web-based, you can administer  
your server and QuickTime Broadcaster from anywhere by connecting from any computer  
with compatible software and with Internet access.  
To configure and administer your server:  
1
From Mac OS X Server, click the Streaming Server Admin icon in the Dock. From a server  
with QuickTime Streaming Server or Darwin Streaming Server installed, open your web  
browser. From a remote computer, open Microsoft Internet Explorer version 4.5 or later,  
Netscape Navigator or Netscape Communicator version 4.x or later, or Mozilla 1.0 or later.  
21  
 
                           
2
Enter the URL for your Streaming Server Admin computer. For example:  
where hostnameis the hostname or IP address of your streaming server computer and  
1220is the port number.  
The first time you run Streaming Server Admin, the Setup Assistant prompts you for a user  
name and password.  
To display online help, click the question mark button in the UI. Information about QTSS and  
DSS is also available at the QuickTime web site (www.apple.com/quicktime/products/qtss/)  
and the Mac OS X Darwin web site (http://developer.apple.com/darwin/projects/streaming/).  
Viewing Streaming Status  
You can view a snapshot of current streaming server activity or see information about  
connected users in the Main and Connected Users panes of Streaming Server Admin.  
To view streaming server activity:  
1
2
Click Main in Streaming Server Admin.  
To see information about connected users, click Connected Users in Streaming Server  
Admin.  
Starting or Stopping Streaming Service  
You can start or stop streaming service at any time by clicking the button at the top of the  
Streaming Server Admin window.  
m To start streaming service, click Start Server.  
m To stop streaming service, click Stop Server.  
Working With Connected Users  
To see the Connected Users pane, click Connected Users in Streaming Server Admin.  
In this pane, you can view information about the client users currently connected to your  
streaming server. You can display the information in a number of ways using the onscreen  
controls.  
To change the number of entries displayed, choose a number from the “Display __ entries”  
pop-up menu.  
To change how often the list is updated, choose a number from the “Page Refresh Interval”  
pop-up menu.  
To select the sort column, click the column label by which you want to sort the user  
information.  
22  
Chapter 2  
 
                                 
To select the sort order, click the arrow next to the selected column label.  
Changing Server Settings  
You can click the labels along the left side of the Streaming Server Admin screen to display  
various settings panes.  
To change the settings for streaming service:  
1
2
Click General Settings, Port Settings, Relay Settings, Log Settings, or Playlists.  
Make the changes you want and click Save Changes.  
Controlling QuickTime Broadcaster Remotely  
If you have QuickTime Streaming Server (QTSS) 4.1.1 or later, you can use the web-based  
Streaming Server Admin to control QuickTime Broadcaster remotely. This comes in handy if,  
for instance, the broadcaster is installed on a rack-mounted Xserve computer running  
“headless” (without a monitor) on the same local network or even hundreds of miles away  
and accessible via the Internet. You can use any computer with an appropriate web browser  
and a network connection to perform the broadcaster control functions.  
Using Streaming Server Admin to control QuickTime Broadcaster remotely requires that the  
broadcaster and QTSS be installed on the same computer. A Broadcast Settings pane in  
Streaming Server Admin provides a simple user interface (UI) for controlling the broadcaster.  
Note: This feature works only with Mac OS X version 10.2 and later.  
If you want the broadcaster presets that were set by the user who initially set up the  
broadcaster to be accessible from Streaming Server Admin, you (or a colleague) must move  
the presets directory via the broadcaster UI from the Home directory of the initial user to a  
newly created shared folder. To specify the new presets location, choose Preferences in the  
QuickTime Broadcaster menu and enter the new path:  
/Library/QuickTimeStreaming/Config/Broadcaster Presets/  
To set up and start a broadcast remotely:  
1
2
From the remote (controlling) computer, open Microsoft Internet Explorer version 4.5 or  
later, Netscape Navigator or Netscape Communicator version 4.x or later, or Mozilla 1.0  
or later.  
Enter the URL for your Streaming Server Admin computer:  
where hostnameis the hostname or IP address of your streaming server computer and  
1220is the port number. It is assumed that QTSS has been configured and is running. The  
Streaming Server Admin UI appears in your browser window.  
3
Click Broadcaster Settings to display the Broadcaster Settings pane.  
Managing Your Streaming Server 23  
 
                 
4
Choose and enable the audio and/or video presets you want and specify an SDP file name  
and the buffer delay in seconds (zero for instant-on streaming).  
If you want to record the broadcast for future rebroadcast, specify the path to the Movies  
directory in the “Record to” field and select the Enabled checkbox.  
If you want to broadcast to a different streaming server, select the “Send this broadcast to a  
different streaming server” checkbox and enter the hostname or IP address of that server and  
the user name and password of the broadcast user account created on that server.  
If you want to broadcast over TCP (a slower but more accurate transmission method), select  
the “Broadcast over TCP” checkbox.  
5
When the settings are correct, click Save Changes, then click Start Broadcast to begin  
broadcasting through the streaming server.  
If the broadcaster is already running in non-headless mode (opened from the Dock), you will  
be presented with the option of restarting the broadcaster in headless mode (required for  
remote administration).  
If the broadcaster transmission method is Automatic Unicast (Announce), QuickTime  
6
7
To view the broadcast, click View Broadcast in the Broadcaster Settings pane.  
To stop the broadcast, click Stop Broadcast in the Broadcaster Settings pane.  
For more information on Streaming Server Admin, see “Working With Streaming Server  
Admin” on page 21. For more information on creating a broadcast user account, see “Using  
Automatic Unicast (Announce) With QTSS or DSS on a Separate Computer” on page 43.  
Working With General Settings  
Use General Settings in Streaming Server Admin to access the streaming server functions  
listed.  
m To see the general settings, click General Settings.  
“Media Directory” contains the media files available to streaming server clients. The files  
must be properly formatted streaming media files. The media files must be located in the  
media directory or in any of its subdirectories.  
“Secure Administration” lets you enable or disable SSL security for Streaming Server Admin.  
Before you enable secure administration, you must get a valid certificate signed by a  
certificate authority such as VeriSign or Thawte, and install it in /Library/  
QuickTimeStreaming/Config/streamingadminserver.pem with the information from your  
certificate file.  
24  
Chapter 2  
 
                                 
For Windows, install the certificate in c:\Program Files\Darwin Streaming  
Server\streamingadminserver.pem.  
For other supported platforms, install the certificate in /etc/streaming/  
streamingadminserver.pem.  
“Max. Number of Connections” lets you set the maximum number of connections. When this  
number is reached, users who try to connect see a message that the server is busy (error  
453).  
“Max. Throughput” lets you set the maximum throughput of the server. If the maximum  
throughput is reached, no one else can connect. Users who try to connect see a message that  
the server is busy (error 453).  
“Default Authentication Scheme” lets you choose between basic or digest. By default, the  
server uses the more secure digest authentication. However, digest authentication requires  
that users connect with QuickTime 5 or later. Basic authentication is less secure than digest  
but is compatible with earlier versions of QuickTime.  
“Change Admin Username/Password” lets you change the server administrator’s user name  
and password.  
“Change Movie Broadcast Password” lets you create or update a broadcast user account on  
the streaming server. This account allows an SDP file to be created on the server. You can  
then broadcast from QuickTime Broadcaster to QuickTime Streaming Server running on a  
separate computer using the Automatic Unicast (Announce) transmission method.  
Note: Using this feature will overwrite any existing access controls that the user has placed  
on the QTSS Movies directory. The qtaccess file is overwritten when the user name/password  
change is made.  
“Change MP3 Broadcast Password” lets you change the password required to send an MP3  
broadcast stream. The MP3 broadcast password cannot contain spaces.  
Working With Port Settings  
You can view and change port settings in Streaming Server Admin.  
m To see the port settings, click Port Settings.  
“Streaming on Port 80” lets you serve QuickTime streams over HTTP port 80. If you need to  
serve streams past firewalls, you may need to enable streaming on port 80. If your computer  
is also running a web server, enabling streaming on port 80 causes a port conflict that results  
in one or both of the servers’ not behaving properly.  
Working With Log Settings  
You can view logs and change log settings in Streaming Server Admin.  
m To see the log settings, click Log Settings.  
Managing Your Streaming Server 25  
 
                                         
“Error Log” shows error and informational messages. Use this log to troubleshoot problems  
with the server.  
Access Log” shows the number of times each media file has been accessed, when it was  
accessed, and who has accessed it since the log was reset. Access errors are also reported in  
the log. Currently, MP3 client connections are not displayed. A raw MP3 access log can be  
viewed by looking in /Library/QuickTimeStreaming/Logs/mp3_access.log (for Mac OS X),  
c:\Program Files\Darwin Streaming Server\Logs\ (for Windows), or /var/streaming/Logs/  
mp3_access.log (for other supported platforms).  
You can specify that each log be reset after a certain number of days or after it reaches a  
certain size (in KB).  
Viewing Error Logs and Access History  
If logging is turned on in the Logging Settings pane of Streaming Server Admin, information  
about access and errors is saved to log files.  
m Click Error Log or Access History to choose which log you want to view.  
The information stored in the access log can be analyzed using software from other vendors.  
The access history log is updated only as client connections are disconnected. Any currently  
connected clients at the time of a power failure or server crash are never logged, and won’t  
appear in the access log when the server is restarted.  
These logs and some additional logs you might find useful are, with the exception noted  
below, stored in the following locations:  
Mac OS X: /Library/QuickTimeStreaming/Logs/  
Windows: c:\Program Files\Darwin StreamingServer\Logs\  
Other supported platforms: /var/streaming/Logs/  
The default file names are as follows:  
Error Log: Error.log  
QuickTime movie and broadcast requests log: StreamingServer.log  
Streaming MP3 requests log: mp3_access.log  
Streaming admin server requests log: streamingadminserver.log  
Playlists log (one per play list): playlistname.err  
where playlistnameis the name of the playlist.  
The playlists log is stored in the following locations (where playlistnameis the name of  
the play list):  
Mac OS X: /Library/QuickTimeStreaming/Playlists/playlistname/  
Windows: c:\Program Files\Darwin Streaming Server\Logs\  
26  
Chapter 2  
 
                                         
Other supported platforms: /var/streaming/Playlists/playlistname/  
Media  
This section provides information you need to broadcast live or prerecorded media as  
streaming video and/or audio. You can also learn about instant-on streaming, creating  
playlists, setting up a web page with streamed media, and bandwidth considerations.  
About Instant-On Streaming  
Viewers watching a streaming video with QuickTime 6 and later will benefit from Instant-On,  
an advance in Apple skip-protection technology (patent pending) that dramatically reduces  
buffer, or wait, time for an instantaneous viewing experience. Viewers can click around or  
scrub video as if it were on their hard disks.  
Users must have a broadband connection to experience instant-on streaming. The  
responsiveness of instant-on streaming is affected by available bandwidth and size, or data  
rate, of the content. Responsiveness can also be affected by the codec used. Hinted movies  
made using the QDesign Audio codec, for example, may not be instant-on capable.  
Preparing Prerecorded Media  
Prerecorded media can be played back as a simulated live stream in a playlist when prepared  
properly.  
To prepare prerecorded media for broadcast in a playlist:  
1
Use the same number and types of tracks for each movie in the playlist.  
Be sure all the media files contain compatible media types. For example, all audio tracks  
should use the same encoding, sampling rate, compression, and bit rate. All video tracks  
should also use the same encoding, compression, and bit rate.  
2
3
Format the media in each file in the same way.  
For example, use the same frame size for each video track.  
For movie playlists, be sure each media file is a hinted QuickTime movie or a hinted  
MPEG-4 file.  
For an MP3 playlist, each file must be an MP3 audio file with the same sample rate (the data  
rates do not need to be the same). Do not hint MP3 files when preparing an MP3 playlist.  
4
Copy all media files to your streaming server.  
Managing Your Streaming Server 27  
 
                                 
Be sure to copy the files into the directory you specified for streaming.  
Important QuickTime Streaming Server (QTSS) or Darwin Streaming Server (DSS) cannot  
be used to natively serve MP3 files on demand (that is, as an HTTP download).  
Rather QTSS and DSS support of MP3 streams is intended for shoutcast/icecast-compatible  
live streams (such as those created by a streaming playlist) or live streams of other  
compatible MP3 live encoder broadcasters.  
If you wish to serve individual MP3 files on demand (not as live streams), simply host the files  
on a web server in a web documents folder.  
Preparing Audio  
MP3 audio files can be played back in an MP3 playlist and listened to using iTunes or another  
compatible streaming MP3 player.  
To prepare MP3 files:  
1
2
3
4
Open the audio file using software that can convert it to MP3 format.  
Save the audio files as MP3 files.  
Make sure all audio uses the same encoding, sampling rate, compression, and bit rate.  
Copy all prepared audio files to the media directory on your streaming server.  
Streaming Media Files With Multiple Sources  
QuickTime movies often use content from several media files. For example, a video clip can  
be combined with music stored separately from the video. When you export a QuickTime  
movie, make it a “self-contained” file so that it includes all the source media. This improves  
server performance.  
If, for some reason, you cannot export the movie as self-contained, here’s what you can do.  
To stream movies that are not self-contained:  
1
2
Copy all the files needed by the movie to the same folder or directory.  
Store all the files in the directory on your server that you specified as the media directory in  
Streaming Server Admin.  
Streaming File Formats Like .avi, .text, and .wav  
If you have QuickTime Pro (a set of advanced features available with QuickTime Player), you  
can apply hinting to .avi, .text, .wav, and other file formats. Hinting allows you to stream a  
non-.mov file using QTSS or DSS while retaining the original file.  
To hint a file, you must import it into QuickTime Player and then export it as a hinted movie.  
28  
Chapter 2  
 
                             
To apply hinting and export a file as a movie:  
1
2
3
Import the file into QuickTime Player by choosing Import from the File menu.  
Export the file by choosing Export from the File menu.  
In the “Save exported file as” dialog, choose “Movie to QuickTime Movie” from the Export  
pop-up menu, if it’s not already selected, then click the Options button.  
4
In the Movie Settings dialog, choose Hinted Streaming from the pop-up menu and click the  
Settings button.  
Make sure that Make Movie Self-Contained is unchecked.  
5
6
Close each dialog by clicking OK, choose a filename and location, and save the file.  
Place both the .mov file (containing only the hint tracks) and the original file (containing  
only the media data) on your streaming server.  
If you have folders inside your media folder, make sure that both files are in the same folder.  
For example:  
New file with only hint tracks: myfile.mov  
Original, non-hinted file: myfile.avi  
To stream the original file, use an RTSP (Real-Time Streaming Protocol) URL that references  
the hinted “.mov” file.  
7
In QuickTime Player, choose “Open URL in New Player” from the File menu, then enter the  
following URL:  
rtsp://qtss.hostname/myfile.mov  
The file should begin streaming. The RTSP URL from the client tells the server to read the  
hinted file and directly stream the media data from the .avi file.  
Exporting a QuickTime Movie as a Hinted Movie  
Hint tracks contain information the streaming server needs to stream the media properly.  
Hint tracks allow the streaming server to stream QuickTime movies without having to  
understand QuickTime media types or codecs. The server only needs to know the hint track  
format. When a new codec must be streamed, typically the server software doesn’t require an  
update. Hinting also precomputes packetization rules for some media that normally require  
bit-level parsing, interleaving, and so on, relieving the server of this task.  
Most authoring applications let you export media as a hinted QuickTime movie. If you have  
QuickTime Pro, you can also hint a movie using QuickTime Player. QuickTime Pro is available  
for both Mac OS and Windows computers. Check the QuickTime web site for more  
information.  
Managing Your Streaming Server 29  
 
             
Each track in a media file must have its own hint track. For example, a movie with one audio  
and one video track must have two hint tracks: one for the audio track and one for the  
video track.  
When you use QuickTime Player to export a movie as a hinted movie, QuickTime adds all the  
necessary hint tracks automatically.  
To export a QuickTime movie as a hinted movie with QuickTime Player:  
Open QuickTime Player on a Mac OS X, Mac OS, or Windows computer.  
Open the QuickTime movie you want to hint.  
1
2
3
4
5
Choose Export from the File menu.  
Choose “Movie to Hinted Movie” from the pop-up menu, then type a new filename.  
Click Save.  
Improving the Performance of Hinted Movies  
When you export a hinted movie from QuickTime Player, you can compress video and sound  
using either the native RTP payload encoder or the generic QuickTime payload encoder. To  
select QuickTime, click Options in the QuickTime Player Export dialog, then click the Track  
Hinter Settings button.  
The QuickTime payload encoder parses media samples into equal-sized packets. If a video  
frame takes up 10 packets, and one is lost, the whole frame is discarded. Payload encoders  
native to a specific codec take advantage of specific knowledge of the media format to parse  
the data into packets in a more compact way. They can recover a partial frame if a video  
packet is lost.  
Generally, native payload encoding is preferred. Check with your codec manufacturer for  
specific guidelines regarding payload encoding.  
Use care and experimentation when choosing between native and QuickTime payload  
encoders.  
Session Description Protocol (SDP) Files  
A Session Description Protocol (SDP) file contains information about the format, timing, and  
authorship of the streamed media. For live streaming, SDP files are created on the capture-  
and-encoding computer by QuickTime Broadcaster or other broadcast software. For  
broadcasts of prerecorded media, an SDP file is automatically created on your streaming  
server. To stream either live or prerecorded media, an SDP file must be present in the media  
directory you’ve designated in Streaming Server Admin.  
30  
Chapter 2  
 
                       
In most cases you should not modify the SDP file manually. However, if you change anything  
about the media you’re streaming, you must delete the SDP file, let the broadcast software  
create a new SDP file, and then copy this new SDP file to the media directory on your  
streaming server.  
For more information on SDP files, search the web for RFC SDP or RFC RTSP.  
Streaming Live Media  
Live media requires minimal preparation as long as you have the correct equipment.  
To stream live media:  
1
2
Set up your broadcast software following the instructions that came with it.  
If you’re using QuickTime Broadcaster and the Automatic Unicast (Announce) transmission  
method, the broadcast software creates a Session Description Protocol (SDP) file  
automatically, if needed. For more information, see “Using Automatic Unicast (Announce)  
With QTSS or DSS on a Separate Computer” on page 43.  
If your broadcast software does not have this feature, you must create an SDP file on the  
computer you use to capture and encode the live signal. See the instructions that came with  
your broadcast software.  
3
Copy the SDP file to your streaming server computer.  
Be sure to copy the file into the media directory you’re using for streaming.  
Make sure the streaming server is running.  
4
5
6
Start the broadcast software following the instructions that came with it.  
Give users an RTSP URL to your SDP file, or an HTTP URL to the QuickTime reference movie  
that you placed on your web server. If you want the streamed media to show on a web page,  
set up the web page by using the EMBED tag or creating a separate QuickTime reference  
movie (for more information about setting up a web page, see “Setting Up a Web Page With  
Streamed Media” on page 32.  
Viewing Streamed Media From a Client Computer  
To view streaming media, users must have QuickTime 4 or later installed.  
To view media from a client computer:  
Open QuickTime Player.  
1
2
Choose Open URL from the File menu.  
Managing Your Streaming Server 31  
 
                     
3
4
Enter the URL for the media file (for example: rtsp://myserver.com/mymedia).  
Replace myserver.com with the DNS name of your streaming server computer, and mymedia  
with the name of your hinted movie or media file. This URL assumes that the movie or media  
file is located at the top level of your media directory. For movies in subfolders within the  
media directory, add the folder to the path name. For example:  
rtsp://myserver.com/myfolder/mymedia.mov  
If you want users to view streamed media through a web browser, you must set up a web  
page to show the media. Then give users the URL of the web page.  
Do not attempt to view media in a web browser by typing an RTSP URL directly into the web  
browser’s address field.  
Setting Up a Web Page With Streamed Media  
To embed streaming media in a web page, you use the HTML EMBED tag. For complete  
authoring/embed.html  
The following example places a graphical link to a movie, “sample.mov,” on a web page. (You  
can rename the sample movie that comes with QuickTime and use it for the example.) When  
a user clicks the link, the movie will start streaming in QuickTime Player.  
<HTML>  
<BODY>  
This is a sample use of the EMBED tag.<BR>  
height="64" href="rtsp://my.streamingserver.com/sample.mov"  
target="QuickTimePlayer">  
</BODY>  
</HTML>  
The URL specified in the SRC attribute is a link to a still image that has been exported as a  
nonhinted QuickTime movie, “linkimage.mov.” This image file serves as the link to the  
streaming movie. The width and height attributes specify the width and height of the image  
area. The HREF attribute is the URL for the streaming movie that will start playing when the  
image is clicked.  
To let users view streaming media from a web page, create a reference movie that contains a  
streaming track with an RTSP URL that points to the media on your streaming server. Store  
the reference movie in the same directory as your web site and include a link to the  
reference movie on your web page. For more information on creating a reference movie, go  
to developer.apple.com/quicktime/ and click the Tools link. Look for the MakeRefMovie tool  
under WebMaster Tools.  
32  
Chapter 2  
 
                         
A reference movie can simply be a text file with a “.mov” filename extension (such as  
“ref.mov”). The format for the contents of the file is as follows:  
rtsptext rtsp://my.streamingserver.com/sample.mov  
Creating Links to MP3 Playlists  
If you want to put an MP3 playlist on the web, you need to create an audio metafile that  
directs the web browser to your playlist and opens the user’s MP3 player. There are two types  
of audio metafile you can use: M3U and PLS. To create the audio metafile, use a text editor to  
create the file, include the proper extension (“.m3u” for M3U metafiles and “.pls” for PLS  
metafiles) at the end of the filename, and format it as described here.  
The M3U file contains a single line of text in this format:  
A PLS file uses this format:  
[playlistname]  
Title1=Playlist Title  
Length1=-1  
NumberOfEntries=1  
Version=2  
Place the .m3u or .pls file in the same directory as your web site and link to it just as you  
would link any other downloadable file. Most web browsers are configured to open .m3u and  
.pls files using the user’s MP3 player automatically.  
Bandwidth Considerations  
It’s generally not a good idea to connect a streaming server to the Internet or local area  
network by Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) or cable modem. The server will be severely limited  
by the relatively small bandwidth of DSL and cable modems for uploading data. In some  
cases, running a server on a DSL connection may break a DSL service agreement. Consult  
your DSL or cable modem service provider before setting up the server.  
When authoring Real-Time Transport Protocol (RTP) streams, make sure they do not exceed  
75 percent of anticipated client throughput. For example, don’t use a rate higher than 20  
kilobits per second (Kbps) for a 28 Kbps modem connection. For a typical 56K modem  
connection, don’t use a rate higher than 31 Kbps. For a T1 (1500 Kbps) client connection,  
don’t use a rate higher than 1125 Kbps.  
Managing Your Streaming Server 33  
 
                         
Playlists  
Playlists are sets of media files in the QTSS or DSS media folder specified to play one after  
the other or in random sequence. This section provides basic information on creating and  
working with playlists.  
Using Playlists to Broadcast Prerecorded Media  
You can create a virtual “radio station” or video broadcast by setting prerecorded QuickTime  
media, MPEG-4, or MP3 files to play in a specified order (a playlist). Setting up a series of  
playlists broadcasts the media to the streaming server, which sends the media to viewers in the  
sequence you set up (random or ordered). Although the media is prerecorded, it appears to  
viewers as a live broadcast. All viewers see the same media when they tune in to the broadcast.  
To broadcast media in a playlist:  
1
2
3
4
Prepare QuickTime, MPEG-4, or MP3 media.  
Create a playlist.  
Start broadcast service by clicking the Play button for each playlist.  
Tell users how to connect to the broadcast.  
For movie playlists, provide an RTSP URL. For MP3 playlists, provide an HTTP link.  
Working With Playlist Settings  
You can change playlist settings in the Playlists pane of Streaming Server Admin.  
To see a playlist’s settings, click Playlists, then click the name of the playlist you want to see in  
the Available Playlists pane, and click Edit Playlist.  
“Name” is the name you give your playlist and the name that appears in the Available Playlists  
pane.  
“Mount Point” is the path section of the URL you give to clients (or that you embed in a web  
page). You must give the mount point a name (often the same name as the playlist). Spaces  
are automatically converted to underscores and “.sdp” is appended to the name of the file.  
Don’t use the “.sdp” extension if this is an MP3 playlist.  
The playlist name and mount point must be unique. No two broadcasts can use the same  
name.  
“Play Mode” can be one of three types:  
“Sequential” broadcasts the media in the order in which it appears in the playlist file.  
When the last media file has ended, the broadcast stops.  
“Sequential Looped” broadcasts the media in the order in which it appears in the playlist  
file. When the last media file has ended, the playlist repeats in the same order.  
34  
Chapter 2  
 
                             
Weighted Random” broadcasts the media in random order using the specified weights to  
determine how often an item plays. The higher the weight, the more often the item is  
played. The media plays until you stop the broadcast.  
“Repetition” lets you set the number of items that must play before an item can repeat. If you  
set a value other than zero for repeated items, make sure the number is less than the number  
of media files in the playlist.  
“Genre,” available only for MP3 playlists, lets you choose a category to display in MP3 players  
that tune in to your broadcast.  
m Click the Remove Item button to remove selected items from your playlist.  
m Enable logging for each playlist by clicking the “Log this playlist’s activity” checkbox.  
m If you want to relay the broadcast of a playlist to another streaming server, click the “Send  
this playlist to a broadcast server” checkbox. Enter a name and password, if required. A  
password is required only for MP3 playlists.  
Starting and Stopping Playlists  
You start and stop broadcasting playlists in the Playlists pane of Streaming Server Admin.  
To start broadcasting a playlist, click the Play button next to the name of the playlist.  
To stop broadcasting a playlist, click the Stop button.  
Creating a Playlist  
You can create a playlist of movies, MPEG-4 files, or MP3 audio tracks.  
Click Playlists in Streaming Server Admin.  
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Click New MP3 Playlist or New Movie Playlist.  
Enter a name for the playlist.  
Enter a name for the Mount Point.  
Choose a play mode from the pop-up menu.  
Enter a number in the Repetition field to set how often an item can repeat.  
If this is an MP3 playlist, choose a category from the Genre pop-up menu.  
To add an item to the playlist, drag it from the Available Media column into the Items in This  
Playlist column.  
9
To remove an item from the playlist, click it in the Items in This Playlist column, then click  
Remove Item.  
10 Drag items up or down in the list to change the order in which they’re played.  
11 Use the Weight column to establish the weight for items (if you’re broadcasting randomly).  
Managing Your Streaming Server 35  
 
                         
12 Click “Log this playlist’s activity” if you want a log of the playlist’s activity.  
13 Click “Send this playlist to a broadcast server” if you want to relay the broadcast to another  
streaming server. Enter the name and password, if required. A password is required only for  
MP3 playlists.  
14 Click Save Changes to save the new playlist.  
Changing a Playlist  
You can change a saved playlist of movies or MP3 audio tracks.  
To edit a playlist:  
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Click Playlists in Streaming Server Admin.  
Click a playlist name.  
Click Edit Playlist.  
Choose a play mode from the pop-up menu.  
Enter a number in the Repetition field to set how often an item can repeat.  
If this is an MP3 playlist, choose a category from the Genre pop-up menu.  
To add an item to the playlist, drag it from the Available Media column into the Items in This  
Playlist column.  
8
To remove an item from the playlist, click it in the Items in This Playlist column, then click  
Remove Item.  
9
Drag items up or down in the list to change the order in which they’re played.  
10 Use the Weight column to establish the weight for items (if you’re broadcasting randomly).  
11 Click “Log this playlist’s activity” if you want a log of the playlist’s activity.  
12 Click “Send this playlist to a broadcast server” if you want to relay the broadcast to another  
streaming server. Enter the name and password, if required. A password is required only for  
MP3 playlists.  
13 Click Save Changes to save your changes to the playlist.  
If you make changes to a playlist that is currently running, you need to stop and restart the  
playlist.  
Deleting a Playlist  
You can delete a saved playlist of movies or MP3 audio tracks by following these steps.  
1
2
Click Playlists in Streaming Server Admin.  
Select the name of the playlist you want to delete.  
36  
Chapter 2  
 
         
3
4
If the playlist is running, click the Stop button.  
Click Delete Playlist.  
Relays  
This section provides detailed information on setting up relays and working with relay  
settings, using Streaming Server Admin.  
Working With Relay Settings  
Relays are used to accept a stream from one streaming server and send the stream on, or  
“relay” it, to another streaming server. You set up relays using the Relay Settings pane in  
Streaming Server Admin.  
To see the Relay Settings pane, click Relay Settings.  
The “Default Relay” relays all incoming broadcasts that are automatically announced to the  
streaming server to one or more destinations. The default relay is set up just like any other  
relay except there are no source settings. The default relay appears in the Relay Status pane  
with the name ***qtssDefaultRelay***. The default relay can accept only forwarded media  
streams using the RTSP announce protocol. UDP streams are not supported.  
“Status: _ Enabled” instructs the server to relay any broadcast that is announced to it as soon  
as the relay is saved.  
“Relay Name” is used to identify the relay in Relay Settings and in the Relay Status pane.  
“Source Hostname or IP Address” is the DNS hostname or IP address of the source  
computer.  
“Mount Point” is the name of the source that needs to be relayed. For example, if you want to  
relay the incoming broadcast announced as “birthdayceleb.sdp,” the mount point is set to  
birthdayceleb.sdp. You could also relay a source acquired by acting as a client and requesting  
it from the source server. In this case, the mount point must be the URL of the resource  
to acquire.  
“Request incoming stream” directs the streaming server to send a request to the source  
computer for the incoming stream before it gets relayed. This feature can be used to relay a  
reflected live broadcast (from another server). It can also be used to request a stored file and  
turn it into an outgoing live stream.  
In any of these fields, “User Name/Password” is used if the source or destination computers  
require automatic broadcasts to be authenticated with a name and password.  
Wait for announced stream(s)” directs the server to wait for the incoming stream and then  
relay it. Relays set to wait for announced streams can accept only media streams using the  
RTSP announce protocol. User Datagram Protocol (UDP) streams are not supported.  
Managing Your Streaming Server 37  
 
                                       
“Relay via TCP” sets broadcasts to announce the stream to the destination computer via TCP.  
The destination computer must support the automatic announcing of broadcasts. For Relay  
via TCP, the mount point is the path to the destination URL. Like any mount point, it points  
to a Session Description Protocol (SDP) file and must end in “.sdp” (for example,  
Keynote_Relay.sdp). If a mount point is not supplied, then the mount point of the source is  
automatically used.  
“Relay via UDP” sets broadcasts that don’t require announcing to stream over a UDP port.  
Use this if streaming media is being relayed directly to a QuickTime client or a multicast  
address, or to a streaming server that doesn’t support automatic broadcasting.  
“Base Port” is the port number the destination computer uses to listen for incoming streams.  
A UDP port is required for each stream. A typical relay can have multiple streams, usually one  
audio stream and one video stream. The Base Port field must contain the UDP port of the  
first stream that is relayed. It must be an even port number greater than 6000. Consecutive  
even numbers are chosen for the remaining UDP ports. Even numbers are for Real-Time  
Transport Protocol (RTP), and the intermediate odd numbers are for Real-Time Transport  
Control Protocol (RTCP). If the base port is set to 6000, then 6002, 6004, and so on are  
automatically chosen as the remaining UDP ports for multiple streams.  
“Multicast TTLis the time-to-live (TTL) value specifying the number of times a media stream  
can be passed from one router to another before the stream is no longer transmitted. The  
value can be any number between 1 and 255. A value of 1 reaches client computers on the  
local area network. The larger the number, the farther the multicast packets will travel.  
Setting Up Relays  
You can use the Relay Settings pane in Streaming Server Admin to set up relays. Each relay  
comprises a source and one or more destinations. You can also enable a “default relay” for all  
incoming broadcasts that are automatically announced to your streaming server and set up  
one or more relay destinations.  
To set up a relay:  
1
2
3
4
5
6
Click Relay Settings.  
Click New Relay or Edit Default Relay.  
Complete the fields for Source Settings (not necessary for the default relay).  
Complete the fields for Destination.  
If you want additional destinations, click Add Destination and fill out the necessary fields.  
Click Save Changes to add the source to your relay settings.  
38  
Chapter 2  
 
                       
Turning a Relay On or Off  
You can turn a relay on or off in the Relay Settings pane of Streaming Server Admin.  
To turn on a relay, click the name of the relay. Then click Edit Relay and click the Enabled  
checkbox to display the checkmark.  
To turn off a relay, click the name of the relay. Then click Edit Relay and click the Enabled  
checkbox to remove the checkmark.  
Security  
A certain level of security is inherent in real-time streaming, since content is delivered only as  
the client needs it and no files remain afterward. But other security issues usually need to be  
addressed. Aspects of streaming security covered in this section include  
m setting up password protection for content  
m configuring qtaccess to limit access to the media folder  
m encrypting communications when using the web-based Streaming Server Admin tool  
m streaming on Port 80  
Resetting the Streaming Server Admin User Name and Password  
If you forget the Streaming Server Admin user name and password, you can reset them.  
To reset the user name and password:  
1
Log in to the server computer as root, open a terminal, and type the following:  
qtpasswd someUserName  
where someUserNameis a name of your choice.  
2
3
Follow the prompts by entering the administrator user name and a password you want to  
assign to the user someUserName.  
Using a text editor, modify the /Library/QuickTimeStreaming/Config/qtgroups file.  
For Windows, modify the c:\Program Files\Darwin Streaming Server\qtgroups file. For other  
supported platforms, modify the /etc/streaming/qtgroups file. Modify the file so that the user  
name you just created or modified is included in the group Admin, as follows:  
admin: someUserName  
4
Save the file as ordinary text (not .rtf or any other file format).  
Managing Your Streaming Server 39  
 
               
Controlling Access to Streamed Media  
You can set up authentication to control client access to streamed media files. Two schemes  
of authentication are supported: basic and digest. By default, the server uses the more  
secure digest authentication.  
You can also control playlist access and administrator access to your streaming server.  
Authentication does not control access to media streamed from a relay server. The  
administrator of the relay server must set up authentication for relayed media.  
The ability to manage user access is built into the streaming server, so it is always enabled.  
For access control to work, an access file must be present in the directory you selected as  
your Media Directory. If an access file is not present in the streaming server media directory,  
all clients are allowed access to the media in the directory.  
To set up access control:  
1
2
3
Use the qtpasswd command-line utility to create new user accounts with passwords.  
Create an access file and place it in the media directory that you want to protect.  
If you want to disable authentication for a media directory, remove the access file (called  
qtaccess) or rename it (for example, qtaccess.disabled).  
Creating an Access File  
An access file is a text file called qtaccess that contains information about users and groups  
who are authorized to view media in the directory in which the access file is stored. The  
directory you use to store streamed media can contain other directories, and each directory  
can have its own access file. When a user tries to view a media file, the server checks for an  
access file to see whether the user is authorized to view the media. The server looks first in  
the directory where the media file is located. If an access file is not found, it looks in the  
enclosing directory. The first access file that’s found is used to determine whether the user is  
authorized to view the media file.  
The access file for the streaming server works like the Apache web server access file.  
You can create an access file with any text editor. The filename must be qtaccess and the file  
can contain some or all of the following information:  
AuthName <message>  
AuthUserFile <user filename>  
AuthGroupFile <group filename>  
require user <username1> <username2>  
require group <groupname1> <groupname2>  
require valid-user  
require any-user  
40  
Chapter 2  
 
                     
Terms not in angle brackets are keywords. Anything in angle brackets is information you  
supply.  
Save the access file as plain text (not .rtf or any other file format).  
messageis text your users see when the login window appears. It’s optional. If your message  
contains any white space (such as a space character between terms), make sure you enclose  
the entire message in quotation marks.  
user filenameis the path and filename of the user file. For Mac OS X, the default  
is /Library/QuickTimeStreaming/Config/qtusers. For Windows, it is c:\Program Files\Darwin  
Streaming Server\qtusers). For other supported platforms, it is /etc/streaming/qtusers.  
group filenameis the path and filename of the group file. For Mac OS X, the default is  
/Library/QuickTimeStreaming/Config/qtgroups. For Windows, it is c:\Program Files\Darwin  
Streaming Server\qtgroups. For other supported platforms, it is /etc/streaming/qtgroups. A  
group file is optional. If you have a lot of users, it may be easier to set up one or more  
groups, and then enter the group names, than to list each user.  
usernameis a user who is authorized to log in and view the media file. The user’s name  
must be in the user file you specified. You can also specify valid-user, which designates  
any valid user.  
groupnameis a group whose members are authorized to log in and view the media file. The  
group and its members must be listed in the group file you specified.  
You can use these additional user tags:  
m valid-useris any user defined in the qtusers file. The statement “require valid-user”  
specifies that any authenticated user in the qtusers file can have access to the media files.  
If this tag is used, the server will prompt users for an appropriate user name and  
password.  
m any-userallows any user to view media without providing a name or password.  
You can also add the keyword AuthScheme with the values “basic” or “digest” to a qtaccess  
file. This overrides the global authentication setting on a directory-by-directory basis.  
If you have made customized changes to the default qtaccess access file, be aware that  
making any changes to broadcast user settings in Streaming Server Admin will modify the  
default qtaccess file at the root level of the Movies directory. Any customized modifications  
you may have made prior to this will not be preserved.  
Managing Your Streaming Server 41  
 
                             
What Clients Need to Access Protected Media  
Users must have QuickTime 5 or later to access a media file for which digest authentication is  
enabled. If your streaming server is set up to use basic authentication, users need QuickTime  
4.1 or later. Users must enter their user names and passwords to view the media file. Users  
who try to access a media file with an earlier version of QuickTime will see the error message  
“401: Unauthorized.”  
Adding User Accounts and Passwords  
You can add a user account and password if you log in to the server computer.  
To add a user account:  
1
2
Log in to the server computer as root, open a terminal window, and type the following:  
qtpasswd -f <user filename> <user-name>  
Alternatively, use sudo to execute the command as root. See “Executing a Command With  
sudo” on page 44.  
Enter a password for the user and reenter it when prompted.  
Adding or Deleting Groups  
You can edit the /Library/QuickTimeStreaming/Config/qtgroups file with any text editor as  
long as it follows this format:  
<groupname>: <user-name1> <user-name2> <user-name3>  
For Windows, the path is c:\Program Files\Darwin Streaming Server\qtgroups. For other  
supported platforms, it is /etc/streaming/qtgroups.  
m To add or delete a group, simply edit the group file you set up.  
Making Changes to the User or Group File  
You can make changes to the user or group file if you log in to the server computer.  
To delete a user from a user or group file:  
1
Log in to the server computer as administrator and use a text editor to open the user or  
group file.  
2
3
Delete the user name and encrypted passwords line from the user file.  
Delete the user name from the group file.  
To change a user password:  
1
Log in to the server computer as root, open a terminal window, and type the following:  
qtpasswd <user-name>  
42  
Chapter 2  
 
                           
Alternatively, use sudo to execute the command as root. See “Executing a Command With  
sudo” on page 44.  
2
Enter a new password for the user. The password you enter replaces the password in the file.  
Installing SSL  
SSL stands for Secure Sockets Layer. It’s a protocol that provides encrypted communications  
on the Internet.  
Before you enable secure administration in QuickTime Streaming Server (QTSS) or Darwin  
Streaming Server (DSS), you must get a valid certificate signed by a certificate authority such  
as VeriSign or Thawte. Install the certificate in /Library/QuickTimeStreaming/  
streamingadminserver.pem (for Mac OS X) with the information from your certificate file. For  
Windows, install the certificate in c:\Program Files\Darwin Streaming  
Server\streamingadminserver.pem. In other supported platforms, install it in /etc/streaming/  
streamingadminserver.pem.  
Warning If you enable SSL support in Streaming Server Admin, your browser must also  
support SSL. If it doesn’t, you will not be able to access Streaming Server Admin. If there  
is a firewall or proxy between the computer on which you are running your browser and  
Streaming Server Admin, make sure that the firewall or proxy allows SSL requests to pass  
through. Also, make sure that any routers or NATs (Network Address Translators) between  
your remote computer and the streaming server allow port 1240 communication.  
You need to install the OpenSSL library and Net::SSLeay to support the security functions  
of DSS. You can get OpenSSL from www.openssl.org. You can get Net::SSLeay from  
Using Automatic Unicast (Announce) With QTSS or DSS on a Separate  
Computer  
You can broadcast from QuickTime Broadcaster to QuickTime Streaming Server (QTSS) or to  
Darwin Streaming Server (DSS) running on a separate computer using the Automatic Unicast  
(Announce) transmission method. You’ll need to create a broadcaster user account on the  
streaming server. This will allow an SDP file to be created on the server. The user name and  
password that you specify will be entered through QuickTime Broadcaster.  
You will need to upgrade your streaming server to QTSS or DSS 4.0 or later if you have an  
earlier version. If QuickTime Broadcaster is running on the same computer as QuickTime  
Streaming Server, a broadcaster user account is not required.  
To create a user account on the streaming server:  
1
2
Create a file named qtaccess in your streaming server Movies directory.  
If you wish to let anyone broadcast to your server, enter the following lines in the file:  
Managing Your Streaming Server 43  
 
                                       
<Limit WRITE>  
require any-user  
</Limit>  
require any-user  
3
If you want to limit broadcaster access to the server, enter the following lines in the file:  
<Limit WRITE>  
require user someUserName  
</Limit>  
require any-user  
where someUserNameis a broadcaster user name of your choosing.  
4
5
Save the file as plain text (not .rtf or any other file format).  
For QTSS or DSS 4.1 or later: Click “Change Movie Broadcast Password” in General Settings  
Enter the new user name and then the new password (twice) in the dialog, and click Change  
Password. You’re done.  
For QTSS or DSS version 4.0: Log in as root (or administrator in Windows) and open a  
terminal window. Alternatively, use sudo to execute the command below as root. See  
“Executing a Command With sudo” on page 44.  
As root (or administrator in Windows), type the following (where someUserNameis a  
broadcaster user name of your choosing):  
qtpasswd someUserName  
You will be prompted for a password twice. After each prompt, enter the password for the  
new user you are creating.  
Example:  
[host:~] root# qtpasswd broadcastuser  
Adding userName broadcastuser  
New password:  
Re-type new password:  
[host:~] root#  
Executing a Command With sudo  
If you are logged in as an administrator, you can use sudo to execute a command as if you  
were the root user (administrator in Windows). This way you don’t have to enable the root  
account to make changes that require root privileges.  
44  
Chapter 2  
 
       
To execute a command as root:  
m Open a terminal window and type sudofollowed by a space and then the command you  
want to execute. You will be prompted for an administrator password before the  
command executes.  
For example, to execute the kill command using sudo, you would enter the following in  
a terminal:  
[host:~] user# sudo kill 529 530  
where 529and 530are process IDs.  
For more information about sudo, enter man sudoin a terminal.  
Streaming on Port 80  
If you are setting up a streaming server on the Internet and you think some of your clients  
are behind firewalls that allow only web traffic, enable streaming on port 80. This lets the  
streaming server accept connections on port 80, the default port for web traffic, and  
QuickTime clients will be able to connect to your streaming server even if they are behind a  
web-only firewall. If you enable streaming on port 80, make sure you disable any Web server  
on the same computer that may conflict with your streaming server.  
Firewalls and Networks With Address Translation  
The streaming server sends data using User Datagram Protocol (UDP) packets. Firewalls  
designed to protect information on a network often block UDP packets. Client computers  
located behind a firewall that blocks UDP packets can’t receive streamed media. However,  
the streaming server also allows streaming over HTTP connections, which allows streamed  
media to be viewed through even very tightly configured firewalls.  
Some client computers located on networks that use address translation may also be unable  
to receive UDP packets, but they can receive media that’s streamed over HTTP connections.  
If users have problems viewing media through a firewall or via a network that uses address  
translation, they should upgrade their client software to QuickTime 5 or later. If users still  
have problems, their network administrators should provide them with the appropriate  
settings for the Streaming Proxy and Streaming Transport settings on their computers.  
Network administrators can also set their firewall software to permit RTP and RTSP  
throughput.  
Problems  
This section provides information on what to do if you encounter certain problems while  
streaming media.  
Managing Your Streaming Server 45  
 
                     
Streaming Server Admin Is Not Responding  
m Verify that the streamingadminserver.pl script is running. If not, log in as root (or  
administrator in Windows), open a terminal window, and start the Streaming Server  
Admin process by typing  
/usr/sbin/streamingadminserver.pl  
m Alternatively, use sudo to execute the command as root. See “Executing a Command With  
sudo” on page 44.  
The Server Doesn’t Start Up or Quits Unexpectedly  
m Check the error log.  
m Make sure the QuickTimeStreamingServer file (for QTSS) or the DarwinStreamingServer  
file (for DSS) is in the /usr/sbin/ directory.  
The Streaming Server Computer Crashes or Is Restarted  
m With QuickTime Streaming Server (QTSS) 4.1 or later, when the computer restarts,  
playlists start up automatically. With QTSS 4.0, once the computer starts up, you may  
need to restart playlists, even if Streaming Server Admin indicates they are playing.  
m Make sure the streaming server is running before you restart the playlists.  
m If you were using the streaming server to relay broadcasts using the Default Relay feature,  
you need to restart the broadcasts on the other streaming servers that were relaying to  
this server using the RTSP Announce protocol. Likewise, any TCP or RTSP Announce  
relays must be restarted on the server after it has restarted.  
Media Files Do Not Stream Properly  
m Try streaming a sample movie to see if the server can stream it. A sample movie is  
included with the server.  
If the server streams the sample movie, the problem may be with the way your movie file  
is prepared. Recreate the movie.  
If the sample movie doesn’t stream, the problem may be with the server computer or  
the network.  
m Check streaming server activity and, if necessary, reduce the maximum number of  
connections or throughput.  
m If the problem occurs on a client computer, make sure the user has the appropriate  
Streaming Proxy and Streaming Transport settings. The administrator for the client  
computer’s network should be able to provide the correct settings.  
m Make sure the client software supports the file format being broadcast.  
m Check the structure of the URL.  
46  
Chapter 2  
 
                               
m Check the playlist. If you created a looping playlist containing hinted MPEG-1 QuickTime  
files, QuickTime clients will likely have problems viewing the stream.  
Streaming Performance Seems Slow  
m If you are streaming QuickTime movies, make the movies self-contained using QuickTime  
Player Pro or other authoring application, and make sure hinting is optimized for  
streaming services.  
m Reduce the maximum number of connections or the maximum throughput.  
m Turn off other services.  
m If users can’t see the live streamed media, make sure you are capturing a signal from the  
audio or video equipment into the computer you’re using for capture and encoding.  
m Make sure the SDP file is located in the media directory on your streaming server.  
Users Can’t Connect to Your Broadcast  
m Make sure the client computer has QuickTime 4 or later installed. If users are connecting  
using a web browser, be sure the QuickTime 4 Plugin is installed correctly.  
m Make sure users have the correct URL.  
m If users are trying to connect to a broadcasted playlist, make sure the broadcast  
description file contains the correct IP address, destination base port, and path name for  
the Session Description Protocol (SDP) file.  
m If users are attempting to connect to your broadcast over HTTP, make sure you disable  
any web server that may be conflicting with your streaming server. Also, make sure  
streaming on port 80 is enabled in the General Settings pane of Streaming Server Admin.  
Users See Error Messages While Streaming Media  
Here’s what the messages mean:  
Error code 401: The user has tried to get access to a protected file. Users may need to  
upgrade to QuickTime 5 or later.  
Error code 404: The server cannot locate the URL the user entered. Make sure users enter  
the correct URL for the broadcast. Tell users not to attempt to view media in a web browser  
by typing an RTSP URL directly into the web browser’s location address. RTSP URLs are used  
only with the Open URL command of QuickTime Player.  
Managing Your Streaming Server 47  
 
                             
Error code 415: The movie file is not hinted or has a compressed movie resource. You need  
to hint the movie again using the Pro version of QuickTime Player. Alternatively, you may be  
attempting to natively serve MP3 files on demand (that is, as an HTTP download). QTSS or  
DSS support of MP3 streams is intended for shoutcast/icecast-compatible live streams (such  
as those created by a streaming playlist) or live streams of other compatible MP3 live encoder  
broadcasters. If you wish to serve individual MP3 files on demand (not as live streams),  
simply host the files on a web server.  
pane of Streaming Server Admin.  
Error code 454: The connection to the server was dropped. Users must start viewing the  
Translation (NAT) software. See “Streaming on Port 80” and “Firewalls and Networks With  
Address Translation” under Security.  
Error code –5420: The server may not be running. Check the streaming server and restart it  
if necessary. Check if the server is behind a firewall or the client is behind Network Address  
Translation (NAT) software. See “Streaming on Port 80” and “Firewalls and Networks With  
Address Translation” under Security.  
Users Can’t See Live Streamed Media  
m Make sure you are broadcasting a signal from the audio or video equipment into the  
computer you’re using for broadcast and encoding.  
m If necessary, make sure the Session Description Protocol (SDP) file is located in the media  
folder you set up on your streaming server.  
You’re Having Problems With Playlists  
If you enable logging, you can use the log file to troubleshoot problems that occur during  
the broadcast.  
Playlists with problems appear in the Available Playlists list with an alert icon next to the  
name. Click the icon to view any error or warning messages.  
m If the media in the playlist is not being broadcast, check Streaming Server Admin to make  
sure the streaming server is running. If the streaming server is running, make sure a process  
called PlaylistBroadcaster is running on the server computer. If it is running, stop the  
broadcast, delete the SDP file for the broadcast from the streaming server media directory,  
then restart the broadcast. A new SDP file is generated when you restart the broadcast.  
m If the media in the playlist is not being broadcast randomly, make sure the weighted  
random play mode is specified. You must stop and start the broadcast for the changes to  
take effect.  
48  
Chapter 2  
 
                                             
m If the media plays once and then stops, make sure the play mode is set to either  
Sequential Looped or Weighted Random. If you broadcast the playlist as weighted random  
and set a value other than zero for repeated items, make sure the value is less than the  
number of media files in the playlist. You must stop and start the broadcast for the  
changes to take effect.  
m If some media in the playlist are not played, check the weight you have assigned to  
each media file in the playlist. You must stop and start the broadcast for the changes to  
take effect.  
m If a movie playlist isn’t streaming correctly, be sure the content, format, and encoding of  
the media are the same for all files in the playlist. Also, make sure users have QuickTime 4  
or later installed on their computers.  
m If your playlist contains movies with different encodings, the encodings that don’t match  
the encoding of the first movie in the playlist (also known as the sdp_reference_movie)  
won’t be played. You can play movies with different encodings in the playlist if the first  
movie in the playlist contains all the encodings you plan to use.  
Advanced  
This section answers questions raised by more advanced users.  
How do I bind the Streaming Server Admin computer to a single IP  
address if my machine is multihomed?  
A line in the streamingadminserver.conf file tells the server what IP address it should bind to.  
For example, the line  
bind=1.2.3.4  
tells the server to bind to the local IP address 1.2.3.4.  
To specify a single IP address:  
1
2
Log in to the server as an administrator.  
Open or create the streamingadminserver.conf file. The file is in the following locations:  
QTSS 4:  
/Library/QuickTimeStreaming/Config/streamingadminserver.conf  
DSS 4 (Windows):  
\Program Files\Darwin Streaming Server\streamingadminserver.conf  
DSS 4 (other supported platforms):  
/etc/streaming/streamingadminserver.conf  
Managing Your Streaming Server 49  
 
             
3
Insert the following lines in the streamingadminserver.conf file:  
ssl=0  
bind=<IP address to bind to>  
4
5
Save the file as a plain text file (not .rtf or other format).  
For the change to take effect, kill the Streaming Server Admin process and then restart  
the server.  
How do I bind QTSS or DSS to a single IP address if my machine is  
multihomed?  
The bind_ip_addr property in the streamingserver.xml file tells the server what IP address it  
should accept. For example, a value of zero in  
<PREF NAME="bind_ip_addr">0<PREF>  
means that all IP addresses are enabled for the server.  
To specify a single IP address:  
1
2
Log in to the server as an administrator.  
Open the streamingserver.xml file and look for the bind_ip_addr property. The file is in the  
following locations:  
QTSS 4:  
/Library/QuickTimeStreaming/Config/streamingserver.xml  
DSS 4 (Windows):  
\Program Files\Darwin Streaming Server\streamingserver.xml  
DSS 4 (other supported platforms):  
/etc/streaming/streamingserver.xml  
3
Replace the zero with the IP address to which you wish to bind (for example, 192.168.1.1):  
<PREF NAME="bind_ip_addr">192.168.1.1<PREF>  
4
5
Save the file as a plain text file (not .rtf or other format).  
For the change to take effect, kill the QTSS or DSS processes that are running and then  
restart the server.  
50  
Chapter 2  
 
       
How do I kill and restart the QuickTime Streaming Server processes in  
Mac OS X Server?  
To kill the QuickTime Streaming Server (QTSS) processes:  
1
2
Find the process ID (PID) for each process, then enter a command in Terminal to “kill” the  
processes and restart QTSS.  
You must be logged in as root to perform this task.  
Open the Terminal application in the Finder and enter the following:  
ps -ax | grep QuickTimeStreamingServer  
Text similar to the following should appear:  
949 ?? Ss0:00.00 /usr/sbin/QuickTimeStreamingServer  
950 ?? S 0:00.13 /usr/sbin/QuickTimeStreamingServer  
965 std S+0:00.00 grep QuickTimeStreamingServer  
3
4
Find the process IDs of the QuickTimeStreamingServer processes. In this example, they are  
949and 950. To kill them, enter the following:  
kill 949 950  
Finally, restart the server by entering the following:  
QuickTimeStreamingServer  
How do I kill and restart Streaming Server Admin processes in  
Mac OS X Server?  
To kill and restart Streaming Server Admin processes, you need to find the process ID (PID)  
for the streamingadminserver process, enter a command in Terminal to kill the process, and  
then restart Streaming Server Admin.  
You must be logged in as root to perform this task.  
To kill and restart a process:  
1
2
Open the Terminal application in the Finder and enter the following:  
ps -ax | grep streamingadminserver  
Text similar to the following should appear:  
947 ?? Ss  
970 std S+  
0:00.00 /usr/sbin/streamingadminserver.pl  
0:00.00 grep streamingadminserver  
Find the process ID of the streamingadminserver process. In this example, it is 947. To kill  
the process, enter the following:  
kill 947  
Managing Your Streaming Server 51  
 
           
3
Finally, restart Streaming Server Admin by entering the following:  
streamingadminserver.pl  
How do I get QTSS to re-read its preferences without killing or  
restarting the server?  
One way to do this is to use Streaming Server Admin. Using your web browser, go to http://  
qtss.domain.com:1220, for example, and stop and start the streaming server via the web  
interface. If you use this method, currently connected users will be disconnected.  
Alternatively, you can send the child process of QuickTimeStreamingServer an HUP (-1)  
signal. Currently connected users will not be disconnected, but this method is a little trickier.  
You must be logged in as root to perform this task.  
To get QTSS to re-read its preferences:  
1
Open the Terminal application in the Finder and enter the following:  
ps -ax | grep QuickTimeStreamingServer  
Text similar to the following should appear:  
949 ?? Ss  
950 ?? S  
965 std S+  
0:00.00 /usr/sbin/QuickTimeStreamingServer  
0:00.13 /usr/sbin/QuickTimeStreamingServer  
0:00.00 grep QuickTimeStreamingServer  
2
3
Find the larger of the two process IDs (PIDs) for the QuickTimeStreamingServer processes.  
In this case, it is 950.  
To send an HUP signal to this child process, enter the following:  
kill -HUP 950  
How do I configure QTSS to host streams from multiple user media  
directories?  
QuickTime Streaming Server can have one only main media directory. However, you can  
create symbolic links within this directory. This allows users to have read/write access to  
their own secure streaming media folders and to access the streams via RTSP (Real-Time  
Streaming Protocol) from a single QTSS media folder. Also, users do not need read/write  
access to the main QuickTime Streaming Server Movies directory (/Library/  
QuickTimeStreaming/Movies/).  
You need to be logged in as the administrator to create these links.  
Here’s a simple way to configure the QTSS media directory so that multiple users (user1,  
user2, and user3, for example) have write access to their own independent movie directories:  
52  
Chapter 2  
 
               
To configure QTSS to host streams from multiple media directories:  
1
For each individual user, make a local movie library in each user’s home directory. For  
example:  
/Users/user1/Movies/  
/Users/user2/Movies/  
/Users/user3/Movies/  
2
3
Set each directory to be owned by its user, and give each user read/write access to his or her  
own files.  
In your QTSS media directory, create symbolic links that point to each user’s private movie  
directory. For example, in Terminal, enter:  
cd /Library/QuickTimeStreaming/Movies  
ln -s /Users/user1/Movies user1  
ln -s /Users/user2/Movies user2  
ln -s /Users/user3/Movies user3  
This will produce the following:  
/Library/QuickTimeStreaming/Movies/user1 -> /Users/user1/Movies  
/Library/QuickTimeStreaming/Movies/user2 -> /Users/user2/Movies  
/Library/QuickTimeStreaming/Movies/user3 -> /Users/user3/Movies  
4
Ask users to upload their hinted QuickTime movies to their own movie directories. For  
example:  
/Users/user1/Movies/sample.mov  
/Users/user2/Movies/test_abc.mov  
/Users/user3/Movies/xyz.mov  
Users can use RTSP URLs such as the following to stream movies from each user’s private  
movie directory:  
rtsp://qtss.domain.com/user1/sample.mov  
rtsp://qtss.domain.com/user2/test_abc.mov  
rtsp://qtss.domain.com/user3/xyz.mov  
Managing Your Streaming Server 53  
 
   
 
C H A P T E R  
3
3
Setup Example  
This chapter describes the key components needed for a generic webcasting setup and how  
they are connected together. The setup instructions that follow assume an educational  
setting, such as a university campus. But the example can be easily adapted for varied uses,  
including  
m distance learning classes  
m corporate communications to employees, customers, suppliers, or shareholders  
m one-time concert or presentation  
m childcare center broadcasts to parents  
Streaming Presentations—Live and On Demand  
This example shows how a university network administrator might set up a streaming server  
and other needed components to stream classroom presentations, live and on demand, to  
students using client computers connected to the campus network and to the Internet.  
55  
 
         
Such a setup would make it possible for students unable to attend a class in person to view it  
online. It would also enable students who want to review parts of the lecture later to play an  
archived version on their computers.  
Broadcaster  
Clients on  
local network  
Streaming server  
Internet  
Clients on Internet  
The streaming setup in this example, shown above, has these features:  
m A local network with Ethernet connections to classrooms and lecture halls from which live  
presentations are to be streamed already exists.  
m A digital video (DV) camera and microphone are set up in a classroom or lecture hall to  
convert the live presentation to digital form. The camera makes a high-quality DV  
recording of the presentation and provides the digital signal that is to be encoded for  
live streaming.  
m The DV camera is connected through a FireWire port to a laptop running QuickTime  
Broadcaster, which encodes the digitized live presentation and transmits the signal via an  
Ethernet connection to the streaming server on the campus network.  
m The streaming server is a rack-mounted Xserve running “headless” (without a monitor  
and keyboard). The server is running Mac OS X Server with QuickTime Streaming Server  
(QTSS) configured to reflect the encoded live presentation as a unicast stream to each  
client computer on the campus network and on the Internet that “tunes in” to the  
broadcast. The Xserve comes with Mac OS X Server and QTSS preinstalled.  
56  
Chapter 3  
 
       
m Client computers of various types with QuickTime Player or other MPEG-4 compliant  
software installed can access the Xserve streaming server via the campus network. Other  
client computers can access the streaming server via the Internet.  
m The broadcaster laptop running iMovie is used to produce high-quality on-demand  
versions of a live presentation after the presentation is concluded. The recorded digitized  
presentation is brought into the computer for compression through its FireWire  
connection using the DV camera.  
Note: QuickTime Broadcaster can be set to record the encoded live stream to disk for  
archival purposes. However, it is desirable to encode the footage separately to achieve higher  
quality results.  
m The broadcaster laptop is also used to control the Xserve remotely through the laptop’s  
browser and the QTSS web-based Streaming Server Admin user interface.  
Note: The laptop could also be connected to the local network wirelessly via an AirPort base  
station for extra portability. The AirPort is 802.11 compliant and works fine with QTSS. Its  
11 megabits per second (Mbps) of bandwidth would be more than enough for our example  
setup unless other clients were also placing heavy demands on the same base station.  
Setting It Up  
The following steps show how to set up QuickTime Streaming Server and the other  
components needed for live and on-demand streaming in this hypothetical university setting.  
Step 1: Prepare the Location  
It will probably not be possible to find classrooms on a typical campus that provide a  
broadcasting and recording environment comparable to a professional television or  
recording studio. Still, there are measures that you can take to ensure reasonably good  
results:  
m Go into a classroom or lecture room that you want to use for live streaming, close the  
doors, and listen for extraneous noise that could interfere with a broadcast. If noise from  
a nearby break room, video gaming area, street traffic, or other source is noticeable and  
can’t be eliminated, find another room.  
m If extraneous noise is not an issue, stand in the center of the room, clap your hands or  
shout, and listen for an echo. If you hear an echo, the sound quality of a live broadcast can  
be compromised. You can reduce or eliminate echoes by hanging heavy curtains on bare  
walls or placing acoustic panels in a checkerboard pattern on each wall.  
m Next, examine the floors and furniture. Carpeted floors and padded chairs are best. A  
lectern should have a cloth on top, or other padded surface, to protect against noises  
such as the speaker’s setting down a glass of water.  
Setup Example 57  
 
             
m Windows can cause lighting problems. For more control, you should be able to draw the  
blinds and supplement room lights with a portable lighting kit that can be quickly set up  
for a live session.  
Step 2: Prepare the Network  
Check that there is an Ethernet connection to the classroom or lecture hall where the live  
broadcast is to take place. Install, repair, or replace cables and connectors as needed, using  
high-quality materials.  
Bear in mind that streaming—especially live streaming—can make heavy demands on  
network resources, especially available bandwidth. To ensure that the network can handle  
the extra load, it may be necessary to do some or all of the following:  
m Determine the capacity of the existing network and calculate the anticipated additional  
traffic generated by live and on-demand streaming.  
m Draw a map of bandwidth segments on your network, listing the capacity between all  
points.  
m Determine which applications are used in your network, their use patterns, where they  
are hosted, and the bandwidth they normally use during peak and off-peak times.  
m Based on the configuration and capacities of your network, select the appropriate place to  
install your streaming server, avoiding potential bottlenecks.  
m If necessary, add capacity to the network (additional T1 lines, routers, switches, and so  
on) to handle the anticipated maximum number of concurrent viewers of live broadcasts  
in addition to other peak network traffic.  
Keep in mind that a typical local network provides bandwidth internally of 10–100 Mbps.  
In contrast, a T1 line, frequently used to connect to the Internet, provides only about 1.5  
Mbps of bandwidth.  
T1 lines work fine for HTTP and FTP, where the requests are either short lived or are not  
time sensitive, but streaming is much more demanding. With streaming you can’t slow  
things down. The data has to be transferred at least as fast as the original content data rate  
in order to deliver streams.  
For this example, we will assume a maximum of 10 concurrent viewers, half on the local  
network and half on the Internet and a bit rate for each unicast stream of approximately  
256 kilobits per second (Kbps). The peak extra bandwidth needed is then about 3.2–3.3  
megabits per second (Mbps). This estimate includes an extra margin of 25–30 percent for  
unplanned network congestion and peaks in the transmitted streams that can occur for  
various reasons.  
58  
Chapter 3  
 
                     
Step 3: Set Up Your Streaming Server  
An administrator computer must be set up before you can configure and manage your  
streaming server if, as in this example, the streaming server is running headless. For  
information on setting up an administrator computer, see “Setting Up an Administrator  
Computer” in Getting Started With Mac OS X Server (included on the Mac OS X Server CD).  
Any computer with a reasonably up-to-date browser connected either directly to the local  
network or to the Internet can be used to manage QTSS remotely once Mac OS X Server has  
been configured. For this example, we assume that the broadcaster laptop in the streaming  
setup illustration is also used for this purpose.  
Although the Xserve comes with Mac OS X Server and QTSS preinstalled, the software must  
be configured for the particular network to which it is being added and for the specific uses  
to which it is to be put. For information on setting up Mac OS X Server, see Getting Started  
With Mac OS X Server and Mac OS X Server Administrator’s Guide, included on the  
Mac OS X Server CD.  
Among the questions to be answered when setting up your streaming server are the  
following:  
Can the server computer be dedicated solely to streaming?  
It’s best if your streaming server doesn’t also have to handle web serving, mail serving, and  
other server tasks. This example setup includes a dedicated streaming server.  
How much random access memory (RAM) is needed?  
The minimum required to run QTSS is 128 megabytes (MB). Estimate about 256 MB of RAM  
for every 50 MB of throughput you plan to serve. This setup assumes 256 MB of RAM.  
How much hard disk storage is needed?  
Video files can be large. A hinted one-hour presentation encoded at 300 Kbps (not optimized  
for a server) will take up approximately 135 MB of hard disk space. A 60-GB hard disk can  
store more than 400 such presentations.  
Note: Here’s a formula for calculating streaming file sizes:  
dataRateInBits / 8 bits * timeInSeconds = file size  
Setup Example 59  
 
                 
Example for a one-hour 300-Kbps stream:  
300,000 / 8 bits * 3600 = 135,000,000 bytes = 135 MB file size  
Many local networks these days include redundant arrays of independent disks (RAID)  
storage systems, which provide much larger amounts of hard disk space.  
If you use a storage location for streaming files different from the QTSS default  
(/Library/QuickTimeStreaming/Movies), you’ll need to enter the path to that location in the  
General Settings page of Streaming Server Admin. Place any Session Description Protocol  
(SDP) files referencing live webcasts in the same location so they can be recognized by QTSS.  
In our example setup, all archived streaming files and SDP reference files reside in the default  
Movies folder of the streaming server.  
Does the streaming server have an adequate network card?  
The network card is a critical component of your streaming server, since it provides Ethernet  
connectivity between the server and your audience. An Ethernet card should provide a  
minimum of 100 megabytes (about 0.8 gigabit) per second of throughput.  
Where will the streaming server be located on the network? And what about a  
firewall?  
The streaming server must be located where it will be accessible to users (in our example,  
students) logging on from both the local network and the Internet. It also should be protected  
by a firewall against unauthorized access to the server and to the archived media files.  
Mac OS X Server includes IP Firewall service, which scans incoming IP packets and rejects or  
accepts these packets based on a set of filters you create. For instructions on setting up this  
service, see “Firewall Service” in Mac OS X Administrator’s Guide.  
60  
Chapter 3  
 
                 
Specific ports need to be opened in the firewall to allow Real-Time Streaming Protocol  
(RTSP) requests from users, encoded video and audio from the broadcaster, and outbound  
streams to clients on the local network and the Internet. The table below lists the ports used  
by QuickTime Streaming Server and Darwin Streaming Server and for incoming and  
outgoing requests.  
Ports used to  
communicate with client  
554, 7070 TCP or 80 TCP  
Ports used to send media  
6970-6999 UDP, or 80 TCP  
10000-65635 UDP  
Ports used to receive  
broadcast  
Ports server will stream  
through  
554 RTSP 7070 TCP or 80 TCP  
8000 TCP  
Default port typically used  
by MP3 broadcasters  
Port used for remotely  
managing QTSS or DSS  
1220 TCP  
In this example setup, we’ll assume that the students connecting to the streaming server via  
the Internet are not behind their own firewalls. If that’s the case, we won’t enable streaming  
on port 80, the port typically carrying HTTP Internet traffic and allowed by most firewalls.  
If some clients are behind firewalls, it may be desirable to enable streaming on port 80 for  
those clients to access the streams.  
To enable streaming on port 80:  
1
2
Click Port Settings in Streaming Server Admin.  
The Port Settings page displays.  
Click the “Streaming on Port 80” checkbox, then click Save Changes.  
Important If you enable streaming on port 80, make sure that your server is not also  
running a web server, such as Apache. Running both QTSS or DSS and a web server with  
streaming on port 80 enabled can cause a port conflict that results in one or both of the  
servers’ not behaving properly.  
Setup Example 61  
 
       
Will it be necessary to set up a broadcaster user account on the streaming  
server?  
In this example setup, it will be necessary to create a broadcaster user account, because the  
encoding software and QTSS are on separate computers. This allows a Session Description  
Protocol (SDP) file to be created on the server by the encoding software, which QuickTime  
selected. The SDP file provides information about the format, timing, and authorship of a live  
streaming broadcast. Once specified, the user name and password will be entered through  
QuickTime Broadcaster.  
For instructions on creating a broadcaster user account, see “Using Automatic Unicast  
(Announce) With QTSS or DSS on a Separate Computer” on page 43. You’ll need to use the  
administrator computer previously set up to create this account.  
Note: The broadcaster user name and password can be changed using the  
StreamingServerAdmin UI, which in this example can be accessed from the laptop browser.  
Finally, will users require authentication to access live or archived  
presentations?  
In our example setup, no authentication is necessary. However, if you want to restrict access  
to your streams, you’ll need to set up password-protected individual user or group accounts.  
For information on how to set up and manage such accounts, see the appropriate topics  
under Security in Chapter 2.  
Step 4: Set Up for a Live Webcast  
For the example setup, the following items are needed:  
m good-quality DV camera  
m microphone placed near the speaker, either on a stand or clipped to the speaker’s  
clothing, connected by good-quality audio cable to the DV camera audio input  
m sturdy tripod on which to mount the camera  
m portable lighting kit  
The Camera Is the First Link  
Since the camera is the first link in the video signal chain, it is very important. Two main  
things determine a DV camera’s picture quality:  
m Lens quality. The better the lens, the better the image.  
m Image capture mechanism. DV cameras use charge-coupled devices (CCDs) to convert  
the picture into electronic signals. The number and size of the CCDs affect the quality of  
the image.  
Optical zoom gives better quality than digital zoom, but zooming should be avoided or  
kept to a minimum when streaming a live presentation to avoid degrading the stream.  
62  
Chapter 3  
 
                   
Lower-end DV cameras use a single charge-coupled device (CCD) to capture the complete  
image, whereas higher-quality cameras use three separate CCDs to scan the red, blue, and  
green content of the image, giving a better quality scan. CCDs range in size from 1/4 inch  
to 2/3 inch; bigger CCDs give better resolution.  
Here are other desirable features:  
m You should be able to override automatic camera settings.  
m You’ll want to use a separate microphone that can plug into the camera for optimal sound  
pick-up. A built-in microphone is unsuitable for most situations.  
m The camera should accept professional XLR plugs (as opposed to the 1/8-inch mini-jack  
connectors). It should also have a headphone jack for monitoring the audio input.  
m Finally, a FireWire output enables digital transfers and automated capture, which can save  
time later.  
Keep the Microphone Close  
The microphone is the first link in the audio signal chain and so is also very important.  
Dynamic microphones are a good all-around choice and can be purchased for as little as  
$100.  
The best way to improve audio if the room is “bad” is to place the microphone as close as  
possible to the person doing the speaking. Use a small lavalier (lapel) microphone clipped to  
the front of the speaker’s clothing immediately under the mouth, or use a handheld  
microphone.  
In the case of a panel discussion, use multiple microphones, preferably on sturdy stands, and  
a small audio mixer. Connect the mixed stereo output from the mixer into the line input on  
the DV camera.  
If using an external microphone or mixer, make sure that all the connectors are securely and  
fully plugged in to assure reliable audio. Plug a pair of headphones into the video camera’s  
headphone output to make sure that you can hear the audio at the video camera source and  
that it’s not distorted.  
A Tripod Is a Must  
It’s important to use a camera tripod when shooting a live presentation, and also to avoid  
pans, tilts, and zooms. If the camera moves just one degree, every pixel in the frame changes,  
multiplying the difficulty of encoding the stream adequately. What was a simple scene to  
encode suddenly becomes much more difficult.  
The tripod should be lightweight while still providing stable support for the camera’s weight.  
Setup Example 63  
 
             
Get a Simple Lighting Kit  
Even a high-quality video camera will produce poor results without proper lighting. It’s  
unlikely that the normal lighting available will be adequate for shooting a live presentation in  
a classroom, for example. At a minimum, you’ll probably want to add back lighting to make  
your subject stand out from a dull background.  
Lighting is a big subject in and of itself and beyond the scope of this guide. Suffice it to say  
that a portable lighting kit supporting three-point lighting (plus a reflector or two if you’re  
planning to shoot outside) can greatly improve your results.  
Step 5: Set Up Broadcaster  
In this example setup, QuickTime Broadcaster is installed on a PowerBook laptop. This  
encoding software is included on the Mac OS X Server CD and can also be downloaded free  
of charge from the QuickTime Broadcaster web site at  
To install QuickTime Broadcaster, double-click the installer package  
(QuickTimeBroadcaster.pkg) and follow the on-screen instructions.  
Once the encoder software is installed, plug the camera into the laptop using FireWire, turn  
the camera on, and see if QuickTime Broadcaster recognizes it.  
1 Open QuickTime Broadcaster and, if necessary, click the Show Details button.  
2 Click the Video tab and choose a video source from the Source pop-up menu.  
If the camera is recognized, it will appear in the Source menu and a preview image should  
display (if the preview function is on). Video settings should also be active (not dimmed).  
If the camera doesn’t appear in the Source menu, quit QuickTime Broadcaster, make sure  
your camera is connected and turned on, then open QuickTime Broadcaster again. If your  
camera still does not appear, check the QuickTime web site or the Apple Knowledge Base for  
information on compatibility and other issues.  
When broadcasting to QTSS on a separate computer, as in this example setup, Automatic  
Unicast (Announce) is the recommended transmission method. It’s easy to set up.  
1 If necessary, click the Show Details button in QuickTime Broadcaster, then click the  
Network tab, and choose Automatic Unicast (Announce) from the Transmission pop-up  
menu.  
2 In the Network pane, enter the IP address or host name of the receiving server (the  
Xserve in this example), a name for the broadcast file, the user name and password for  
the broadcaster user account on the streaming server created in Step 3, and the buffer  
delay (or accept the default).  
Note: The buffer delay sets the number of seconds QuickTime buffers the broadcast before  
playback. For broadband connections, QuickTime Player 6 or later fills the buffer more  
quickly than real-time providing an “Instant-On” viewing experience.  
64  
Chapter 3  
 
             
3 Click Broadcast and, if necessary, start QTSS using Streaming Server Admin from the  
laptop’s browser by typing in the browser window  
where streamingserveripis the IP address of the streaming server.  
Then enter the user name and password and click Start Server.  
To nd out if the live stream can be seen from a client, open QuickTime Player on one of the  
client computers and do the following:  
1 Choose Open URL in New Player from the File menu.  
2 Enter the Real-Time Streaming Protocol (RTSP) URL displayed in the Location section of  
the QuickTime Broadcaster window (for example,  
rtsp://myserver.com/mystream.sdp).  
Note: The URL is case-sensitive and must be entered exactly as displayed in the QuickTime  
Broadcaster window.  
The live stream should start playing in QuickTime Player.  
Step 6: Test Your Setup  
The last step is to test the setup. This should be done as realistically as possible.  
m Set up your equipment just as it will be used for the live presentation, if possible in the  
actual location to be used.  
m Ask a colleague to stand in for the presenter, or better yet, have the presenter take part in  
the test, making it a “dress rehearsal.”  
m Check the video image and the sound.  
m Check that clients both on the local network and on the Internet can tune in to the live  
stream.  
m Adjust the camera and microphone positions and lighting as necessary and troubleshoot  
any other problems.  
Creating a Web Page for Easy Access  
Enabling access from a web page eliminates the cumbersome process for students of  
remembering the RTSP URL and names of the streaming server and SDP files.  
In our example setup, the web page can be added to the existing university web site, but it can  
reside on any web server. Then students can access the live presentation (and the archived  
presentations, too) by simply clicking on links that show up in their browser windows.  
Setup Example 65  
 
         
From within an embedded “reference movie,” you can direct client players to on-demand  
presentations encoded for different connection speeds to give users the best possible  
viewing experience.  
For instructions on creating a web page with links to streamed media, see “Setting Up a Web  
Page With Streamed Media” on page 32.  
Shooting the Live Presentation  
If all the preparatory work has been done, as outlined above, and the equipment and  
connections have been thoroughly tested, shooting the live presentation should be  
straightforward.  
Here are a few tips for avoiding problems during the event:  
m On the day (or evening) of the actual event to be streamed live, set up early so you have  
time to check once again that all components are working as expected.  
m If an audience is to be present, let them know in advance that you will be webcasting the  
presentation live and ask for their cooperation.  
m Tape down any cables strung along the floor to minimize tripping hazards.  
m Check for potential sources of extraneous noise and take abatement measures if possible.  
Archiving the Live Presentation  
In the example setup, the iMovie application that comes with Mac OS X is available on the  
laptop. iMovie is used to import the recorded DV footage from the camera tape and then to  
encode and archive taped live presentations after they have occurred.  
To archive a live presentation, first import the recorded DV footage.  
1 Connect the DV camera to the laptop using FireWire and turn on the camera.  
2 Insert the tape with the video footage to be archived into the camera and switch to VTR  
mode.  
3 Open iMovie on the laptop and in the iMovie UI set the Mode Switch under the iMovie  
monitor to Camera mode by dragging the round blue slide toggle toward the DV camera  
icon.  
4 Use the Camera mode playback controls to view a portion of the tape in the iMovie  
monitor. If the tape doesn’t play, check the connections and make sure the camera is  
turned on.  
5 Rewind the tape to a few seconds before the point where you want to start importing.  
6 Click Play below the iMovie monitor.  
66  
Chapter 3  
 
         
7 Click Import when you see the point in the presentation where you want to start  
importing.  
8 Click Import again when you want to stop importing.  
If you get some footage that you don’t want to include in your archived presentation, you  
can edit it later using iMovie.  
Important You’ll need to monitor hard disk space as you import video and create your  
iMovie. One minute of DV footage uses about 220 MB of hard disk space, so a one-hour  
presentation can use up more than 13 gigabytes of disk space. The Free Space status bar,  
below the clip shelf, shows how much disk space is available at any point in the import  
process.  
Next, use iMovie to compress and encode the DV footage for streaming.  
1 In iMovie, choose Export Movie from the File menu.  
2 Choose To QuickTime from the “Export Movie” pop-up menu.  
3 Choose a movie format from the Formats pop-up menu.  
You can choose one of the QuickTime formats optimized for different uses or choose  
Expert. Expert lets you use custom QuickTime settings, such as MPEG-4 Video.  
4 Click Export.  
5 Name your movie, select a destination for the file, and click Save.  
The time it takes to save the movie depends on the movie’s length and the format you chose.  
Note: You may want to save more than one archive streaming file, each compressed for a  
different connection speed. For example, you might choose lower compression settings for  
clients on the campus network and higher compression settings for clients connecting over  
the Internet.  
6 After you have saved the encoded file or files, check to make sure every file streams  
properly, and you’re ready for the next archiving session.  
Setup Example 67  
 
       
 
Glossary  
This glossary defines terms and spells out abbreviations you may encounter while working  
with online help or the QTSS and DSS Administrator’s Guide. References to terms defined  
elsewhere in the glossary appear in italics.  
A
access file A text file called qtaccess that contains information about users and groups  
who are authorized to view media in the directory in which the access file is stored.  
administrator A user with server or directory domain administration privileges.  
administrator computer A computer with server administrator software installed that  
can be used to configure and manage another computer.  
announced broadcast A method such as Automatic Unicast (Announce) enabling a  
broadcaster to negotiate with a server to accept a broadcast.  
AppleScript A scripting language with English-like syntax, used to write script files that can  
control your computer. AppleScript is part of the Mac operating system and is included on  
every Macintosh.  
Automatic Unicast (Announce) A method of delivering a broadcast to a streaming  
server in which an SDP file is automatically copied and kept current on the server. A  
broadcast user name and password must be created before starting such a broadcast.  
AVI (Audio Visual Interleave) A Windows video file format.  
B
bandwidth The capacity of a network connection, measured in bits or bytes per second, for  
carrying data.  
bit A single piece of information, with a value of either 0 or 1.  
bit rate The speed at which bits are transmitted on a network, usually expressed in bits per  
second.  
broadcast Transmitting one copy of a stream over the whole network.  
69  
 
 
broadcast user A user who has permission to broadcast to the streaming server. The  
broadcast user name and password are set in the General Settings pane of Streaming Server  
Admin and are used in conjunction with announced broadcasts. It is not necessary to create  
a broadcast user for UDP broadcasts.  
browser plug-in Software that you attach to a browser to enable it to display specific data  
formats.  
byte Eight bits.  
C
client The user-side software or computer used to display streaming media.  
codec Any technology for compressing and decompressing data. Codecs can be  
implemented in software, hardware, or a combination of both.  
CVS Concurrent Versions System, a programming code management system.  
D, E  
data rate Amount of information per second.  
DNS (Domain Name Service) A service that translates host names to IP addresses.  
DSL (digital subscriber line) A broadband data transmission technology that operates  
over telephone lines.  
DV (digital video) A digital tape-recording format using approximately 5:1 compression to  
produce Betacam quality on a very small cassette.  
F, G  
firewall Software that protects the network applications and networking stack of a server.  
IP Firewall service, which is part of Mac OS X Server software, scans incoming IP packets and  
rejects or accepts these packets based on a set of filters you create.  
FireWire A hardware technology for exchanging data with peripheral devices, defined by  
IEEE Standard 1394. Also called iLink.  
frame A single image in a movie or sequence of images.  
frame rate In a movie, the number of frames per second.  
FTP (File Transfer Protocol) A protocol that allows computers to transfer files over a  
network. FTP clients using any operating system that supports FTP can connect to a file  
server and download files, depending on their access privileges. Most Internet browsers and  
a number of freeware applications can be used to access an FTP server.  
70 Glossary  
 
H
hinting Hinting creates a track for each streamable media track in the file that tells  
QuickTime Streaming Server how and when to deliver each frame of media. The hinting  
process performs in advance the required calculations, allowing QTSS to serve up a larger  
number of streams. Hinting also allows new codecs to be used without the need to upgrade  
the server.  
HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) The code inserted in a file to be displayed on a  
web browser page. The markup tells the web browser how to display a web page’s words and  
images for the user.  
HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) An application protocol that defines the set of  
rules for linking and exchanging files on a network.  
I
IEEE The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc., an organization dedicated to  
promoting standards in computing and electrical engineering.  
Instant On An advance in Apple’s patent-pending Skip Protection technology that  
dramatically reduces buffer, or wait, time for an instantaneous viewing experience with  
streaming video on a broadband connection.  
IP (Internet Protocol) A connectionless protocol used to transmit packets of data from  
one machine to another. TCP and UDP use IP for their host-to-host data communications.  
IP address A unique numeric address that identifies a computer on the Internet.  
IP subnet A portion of an IP network, which may be a physically independent network  
segment, which shares a network address with other portions of the network and is  
identified by a subnet number.  
ISP (Internet service provider) A business that sells Internet access and often provides  
web hosting for ecommerce applications as well as mail services.  
J, K, L  
JavaScript A scripting language used to add interactivity to web pages.  
key frame A sample in a sequence of temporally compressed samples that does not rely on  
other samples in the sequence for any of its information. Key frames are placed into  
temporally compressed sequences at a frequency that is determined by the key frame rate.  
key frame rate The frequency with which key frames are placed into temporally  
compressed data sequences.  
LAN (local area network) A network maintained within a facility, as opposed to a WAN  
(wide area network) that links geographically separated facilities.  
Glossary 71  
 
layer A mechanism for prioritizing the tracks in a movie or the overlapping of sprites. When  
it plays a movie, QuickTime displays the movie’s images according to their layer—images  
with lower layer numbers are displayed on top; images with higher layer numbers may be  
obscured by images with lower layer numbers.  
M
M3U file An audio metafile that is created using a text editor and saved to a web server. The  
file directs a user’s web browser to an MP3 playlist residing on the same web server and  
opens the user’s MP3 player.  
Mac OS X The latest version of the Apple operating system, which combines the reliability  
of UNIX with the ease of use of Macintosh.  
Mac OS X Server An industrial-strength server platform that supports Mac, Windows,  
UNIX, and Linux clients out of the box and provides a suite of scalable workgroup and  
network services plus advanced remote management tools.  
Manual Unicast A method for transmitting a live stream to a single QuickTime Player  
client or to a computer running QTSS or DSS. An SDP file is usually created by the  
broadcaster application and then must be manually sent to the viewer or streaming server.  
Mbone Short for Multicast Backbone, a virtual network for real-time streaming over the  
Internet.  
MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) A standard format for sending  
instructions to a musical synthesizer.  
modifier track A track in a movie that modifies the data or presentation of other tracks.  
For example, a tween track is a modifier track.  
mount point A string used to identify a live stream, which can be a relayed movie stream, a  
nonrelayed movie stream, or an MP3 stream. Mount points that describe live movie streams  
always end with an .sdp extension.  
MOV The Apple QuickTime movie file extension used to name both movie redirect files  
and actual QuickTime media files.  
movie A structure of time-based data that is managed by QuickTime. A QuickTime movie  
may contain sound, video, animation, or a combination of data types. A QuickTime movie  
contains one or more tracks; each track represents a single data stream in the movie.  
MP3 (MPEG layer 3) A popular format for compressing music.  
MPEG-4 An ISO standard based on the QuickTime file format that defines multimedia file  
and compression formats.  
multicast An efficient, one-to-many form of streaming. Users can join or leave a multicast  
but cannot otherwise interact with it.  
multihomed A server with multiple IP addresses.  
72 Glossary  
 
N, O  
NAT (Network Address Translation) A technique sometimes used so that multiple  
computers can share a single IP address.  
open source A term for the cooperative development of software by the Internet  
community. The basic principle is to involve as many people as possible in writing and  
debugging code by publishing the source code and encouraging the formation of a large  
community of developers who will submit modifications and enhancements.  
P
packet A unit of data information consisting of header, information, error detection, and  
trailer records. QTSS uses TCP, UDP, and IP packets to communicate with streaming clients.  
pixel A single dot in a graphic image with a given color and brightness value.  
playlist A set of media files in the QTSS or DSS media folder specified to play one after the  
other or in random sequence.  
port A sort of virtual mail slot. A server uses port numbers to determine which application  
should receive data packets. Firewalls use port numbers to determine whether or not data  
packets are allowed to traverse a local network. "Port" usually refers to either a TCP or UDP  
port.  
privileges Settings that define the kind of access users have to shared items. You can  
assign four types of privileges to a share point, folder, or file: read and write, read only, write  
only, and none (no access).  
progressive download Movie data that is pushed via HTTP to the client. The movie can  
be viewed by the user as it is being transferred. This is not a form of media streaming.  
protocol A set of rules that determines how data is sent back and forth between two  
applications.  
proxy server A server that sits between a client and server and negotiates communication  
between those two hosts. The client and server only communicate with the proxy server and  
never interact with each other. There are proxy applications for many network protocols,  
including HTTP (for web traffic) and RTSP (for streaming traffic).  
Q
qtaccess The name of the plain text access file that contains information about users and  
groups who are authorized to view media in the directory in which the access file is stored.  
QTSS (QuickTime Streaming Server) A technology that lets you deliver media over the  
Internet in real time.  
QuickTime A set of Macintosh system extensions or a Windows dynamic-link library that  
supports the composition and playing of movies.  
Glossary 73  
 
QuickTime Player An application, included with the QuickTime system software, that  
plays QuickTime movies.  
QuickTime Pro A version of QuickTime Player with advanced features, primarily the  
addition of editing capabilities.  
R
RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Disks) A hard disk array that either increases  
the speed of disk input-output or mirrors the data for redundancy, or provides both of these  
features. Users may access the RAID as if it were one drive, although it may be divided into  
multiple partitions.  
reference movie A .mov file created using a utility program like MakeRefMovie, available  
at no cost from Apple for Macintosh and Windows. The file contains the location of a  
streaming media file and can also contain the locations of multiple streaming files. A  
reference file linked from a web page, for example, can direct a client player to the on-  
demand presentation encoded for its particular connection speed.  
reflected stream A live broadcast delivered as a unicast stream. Movie and MP4 playlists  
also generate reflected streams.  
relayed stream A stream that is passed from one server to one or more other servers.  
Relays can also be used to generate a multicast stream. QTSS does not support relaying of  
MP3 streams.  
RTP (Real-Time Transport Protocol) A network-transport protocol used for  
transmitting real-time multimedia content over multicast or unicast network services.  
RTSP (Real Time Streaming Protocol) A protocol for controlling a stream of real-time  
multimedia content. Sources of data can include both live feeds and stored clips.  
S
sample rate The number of samples per second used for audio. Higher sample rates yield  
higher quality audio than lower sample rates.  
SDP (Session Description Protocol) A text file used with QuickTime Streaming Server  
that provides information about the format, timing, and authorship of a live streaming  
broadcast and gives the user’s computer instructions for tuning in.  
SMTP (Simple Mail Transport Protocol) A protocol for sending email.  
sprite An animated image that is managed by QuickTime. A sprite is defined once and is  
then animated by commands that change its position or appearance.  
SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) An Internet protocol that allows you to send encrypted,  
authenticated information across the Internet.  
74 Glossary  
 
static IP address An IP address that is assigned to a computer or device once and is  
never changed.  
streaming Delivery of video or audio data over a network in real-time, as a stream of  
packets instead of a single file download.  
T
TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) A method used along with the Internet Protocol  
(IP) to send data in the form of message units between computers over the Internet. IP takes  
care of handling the actual delivery of the data, and TCP takes care of keeping track of the  
individual units of data (called packets) into which a message is divided for efficient routing  
through the Internet.  
temporal compression Image compression that is performed between frames in a  
sequence. This compression technique takes advantage of redundancy between adjacent  
frames in a sequence to reduce the amount of data that is required to accurately represent  
each frame in the sequence. Sequences that have been temporally compressed typically  
contain key frames at regular intervals.  
track A QuickTime data structure that represents a single data stream in a QuickTime  
movie. A movie may contain one or more tracks. Each track is independent of other tracks in  
the movie and represents its own data stream.  
TTL (time-to-live) A multicast broadcast has a TTL value that is set by the user. It specifies  
the number of routers the stream will pass through before it stops propagating over the  
network.  
tween track A track that modifies the display of other tracks.  
U
UDP (User Datagram Protocol) A data transport protocol that does not support  
retransmission of lost packets, sometimes used instead of TCP/IP.  
unicast The one-to-one form of streaming. If RTSP is provided, the user can move freely  
from point to point in an on-demand movie.  
URL (Universal Resource Locator) A uniform way of specifying locations on the  
Internet or a local file system.  
V, W, X, Y, Z  
VBR (variable bit rate) A method of compressing data that takes advantage of changes in  
the media’s data rate.  
WAV A Windows format for sound files.  
webcast A broadcast of live video or audio on the Internet.  
Glossary 75  
 
XLR plug A three-pin audio connector that can be used with three-wire balanced cables,  
which cause electro-magnetic interference to be canceled out.  
XML An extensible markup language, similar to HTML but more formal and more flexible.  
76 Glossary  
 
AuthScheme keyword 41  
A
access errors 26  
B
address translation 45  
Announce (Automatic Unicast) 24, 43–44, 64–65 broadband connections 16, 27  
any-usertag 41  
audio  
live 8–9  
basic 25, 42  
default 25  
playlists 27–28, 34, 35  
play modes 34  
digest 25, 40  
disabling 40  
prerecorded media 27–28, 34  
relayed 11, 35, 46  
features 13  
remote 23–24  
overriding global setting 41  
starting 24  
77  
 
 
stopping 24  
viewing 24  
maximum number of 25, 46, 47, 48  
browsers. See web browsers  
C
cameras  
certificate file 24, 43  
multicast vs. unicast transport 10  
codecs 29  
computers  
multihomed 49–50  
source 37  
disk space 17, 59, 67  
DNS hostname 37  
cable modem 33  
data rates 33  
dropped 48  
DSL 33  
Ethernet 58, 60  
DSL (Digitial Subscriber Line) 33  
DSS. See Darwin Streaming Server  
DV camera  
HTTP 12, 45, 47  
live webcasts 62–64  
78 Index  
 
E
eMac 17  
error code 415 48  
errors  
listed 47–48  
Ethernet connections 58, 60  
events, live 8  
HREF attribute 32  
HTTP connections 12, 45, 47  
exporting items  
files as movies 29  
QuickTime movies as hinted movies 29–30  
F
file formats  
files  
compressing/encoding DV footage 67  
Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) 14  
Internet Explorer 21  
MPEG-4 12, 16  
SDP. See SDP files  
firewalls 43, 45, 60–61  
Firewire output 63  
Firewire ports 56  
Firewire technology 17  
IP addresses  
binding QTSS/DSS to 50  
source computer 37  
Streaming Server Admin 22, 49–50  
Index 79  
 
IP Firewall service 60  
IP packets 60  
iTunes 16  
QuickTime movie 26  
K
L
live audio  
requirements for 17–18  
live chats 11  
live delivery 8  
live events 8  
live media  
live streaming  
audio 8–9  
live video  
archiving 66–67  
logs  
streamed. See streamed media  
streaming file formats 28–29  
viewing from client computer 31  
media directories  
access history 26  
error 26  
location of 26–27  
MP3 access 26  
disabling authentication for 40  
multiple 52–53  
playlists 26–27, 35, 48  
80 Index  
 
media files  
Microsoft Internet Explorer 21  
movie files 48  
NATs (Network Address Translators) 43  
address translation 45  
movies  
mp3_access.log file 26  
links to 33  
listening to 16  
performance  
enhancements to 13  
hinted movies 30  
slow streaming 47  
players  
prerecorded media for 27  
.sdp extension and 34  
MP3 streaming 12, 48  
MPEG-1 files 47  
MP3 35  
Index 81  
 
links to 33  
names 34  
stopping 35  
ports  
See also movies  
preferences 52  
prerecorded media 27–28  
presentations, streaming 55–67  
presets directory 23  
problems. See troubleshooting  
proxies 43  
QuickTime plug-in 9, 47  
QuickTime Pro  
described 12  
included with “QuickTime for the Web” 14  
QuickTime product suite 11  
QuickTime Services web site 14  
82 Index  
 
QuickTime streaming 7–14  
support 13, 14  
RTP streams 33  
version 4 12–13  
version 4.1 13  
RTSP standard 14  
R
security 39–45  
names 37  
settings 37–38  
setting up 38  
streamed media 11  
support for 13  
turning off 39  
access control 40–43  
Automatic Unicast (Announce)  
method 43–44  
certificate file 24, 43  
command execution with sudo 44–45  
Index 83  
 
Secure Sockets Layer 43  
servers  
Solaris systems 17  
controlling access to 40–43  
live 31  
viewing from client computer 31  
streaming  
resetting user name/password 39  
restarting processes 51–52  
starting streaming service 22  
stopping streaming service 22  
streaming server setup 18–19  
user name 18, 22, 25, 39  
See also QuickTime streaming  
codecs 29  
instant-on 13, 16, 27  
live. See live streaming  
84 Index  
 
viewing server activity 22  
playlists 48–49  
remote administration 18  
user names  
users  
changing settings for 23  
starting 22  
stopping 22  
Streaming Transport settings 46  
T
TCP  
time-to-live (TTL) 38  
tracks, hint 29–30  
tripod 62, 63  
unable to connect to broadcast 47  
working with 22–23  
V
troubleshooting 45–49  
See also errors  
valid-usertag 41  
video  
live streamed media 48  
media files 46–47  
Index 85  
 

3M Cordless Sander 20230 User Manual
Abocom Network Router ARM804 User Manual
Adaptec Network Card PC 104 User Manual
AdobeAir Humidifier CC2000B User Manual
AEG Microwave Oven MCD1751E User Manual
Aiwa Universal Remote MF 350 User Manual
AKG Acoustics Music Mixer DMM 12BC User Manual
Alesis Video Game Keyboard Q25 User Manual
American Standard Plumbing Product M968628 REV13 User Manual
Behringer Satellite Radio TU100 User Manual