QuickTime
Streaming Server
Darwin
Streaming Server
Administrator’s Guide
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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
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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
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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
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Shooting the Live Presentation 66
Archiving the Live Presentation 66
Glossary 69
Index 77
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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.
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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.
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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.
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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
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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.
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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
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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.
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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 SSL” on 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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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“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\
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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“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).
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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.
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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.
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“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 TTL” is 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.
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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).
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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
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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.
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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
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>
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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
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:
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<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.
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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.
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Streaming Server Admin Is Not Responding
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.
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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.
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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
stream again. Check if the server is behind a firewall or the client is behind Network Address
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.
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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
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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.
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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
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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:
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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
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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.
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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 find 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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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
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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
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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
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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.
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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
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AuthScheme keyword 41
A
access errors 26
B
address translation 45
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
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stopping 24
viewing 24
maximum number of 25, 46, 47, 48
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
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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
Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) 14
Internet Explorer 21
MPEG-1 47
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
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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
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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
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MPEG-4 16
links to 33
MPEG-4 35–36
names 34
server-side 13
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
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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
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Net::SSLeay 43
Secure Sockets Layer 43
servers
not running 48
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
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viewing server activity 22
playlists 48–49
overview 7–8
remote administration 18
user names
users
changing settings for 23
starting 22
stopping 22
Streaming Transport settings 46
T
TCP
.text format 28–29
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
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X
capture 17
video files 59
Xserve server 16, 17, 56
W
.wav format 28–29
Netscape Communicator 21
web pages
web servers 15
web sites
“Weighted Random” mode 35, 48, 49
WinAmp 16
Windows 2000 systems 17
Windows-based systems 9, 17, 26
Windows NT systems 17
wireless connections 57
86 Index
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