Windows Server 2008 R2 Unleashed (293 page)

X

X

Advanced FF/RW

X

X

Advertising server support

X

X

Broadcast AutoStart

X

X

Cache/proxy support

X

X

Custom plug-in support

X

X

Event-based scripting support

X

X

Fast Cache

X

X

Fast Reconnect

X

X

Fast Recovery

X

X

Fast Start

X

X

Fast Streaming

X

X

Internet authentication method (Digest)

X

X

Internet Group Management Protocol version 3

X

X

(IGMPv3) support

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CHAPTER 36

Windows Media Services

TABLE 36.1

Comparing the Editions of Windows Media Services

Feature Item

Standard, Foundation,

Enterprise and Data

and Web Editions

Center Editions

Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) support

X

X

Intranet authentication methods (Negotiate

X

X

authentication, Anonymous access)

Multicast content delivery

X

Multiple authorization methods (NTFS ACL, IP

X

X

Address)

Multiple control protocol support (MMS, HTTP,

X

X

RTSP)

Multiple media parser support (Windows

X

X

Media, MP3)

Multiple playlist parser support (WSX,

X

X

Directory)

Play While Archiving

X

X

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RTSP streaming

X

X

Robust event notification (WMI, SNMP)

X

X

Server-based content repacketization

X

X

Unicast content delivery

X

X

To end this section on a high note, there isn’t a need to purchase a separate license for

Windows Media Services because the software is included as a free download from

Microsoft’s website. For this reason, a separate client access license (CAL) is not required to

run the services. However, there is still a need to license the server product for Windows

Server 2008 R2.

Updating the Windows Media Services Platform to Windows Server

2008 R2

It will likely be necessary for most organizations to upgrade their systems running the

Windows Media Services platform to Windows Server 2008 R2. For those currently

running Windows Server 2003, it is a matter of upgrading to Windows Server 2008 R2.

However, a direct upgrade from Windows NT 4.0 or Windows 2000 Server is not

supported. Organizations in this predicament that are running a legacy version of

Windows Media Services on Windows NT 4.0 or Windows 2000 Server will need to first

Installing Windows Media Services

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upgrade the Windows Media Services platform to Windows Server 2003 and then upgrade

again to Windows Server 2008 R2.

TIP

It is a best practice to first back up the legacy Windows Media Services platform

before upgrading to Windows Server 2008 R2. This includes capturing and backing up

the configuration settings, log files, and digital media content.

Determining Which Windows Media Services Administration Tools to

Leverage

When planning to run Windows Media Services on Windows Server 2008 R2, organiza-

tions should consider the numerous ways it can be administered and managed to find

their best fit. The following bullets identify the tools available for administering Windows

Media Services:

.
Windows Media Service snap-in—
This is the most common interface for manag-

ing Windows Media Services. This interface is based on the traditional Microsoft

Management Console (MMC). It can be added as a snap-in to any server running

Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Vista, or Windows 7.

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.
Windows Media Services Administrator for the web—
Organizations can choose

36

to administer Windows Media Services over the web. The web interface for adminis-

tration is particularly useful and appreciated by users who manage Windows Media

Services from a non-Windows machine over the Internet or on a network with low

latency.

.
Command-line scripts—
Like many of the Windows Server products, Windows

Media Services administration tasks can be automated through the command line by

using a series of scripts.

When the full installation option for Windows Media Services is utilized, both the

Windows Media Service snap-in and the Windows Media Services Administrator for the

web are included. It should be noted that the Windows Media Service Administrator for

the web requires the Web Server (IIS) server role to be installed on the Windows Server

2008 R2 system. Alternatively, the Windows Media Services 2008 R2 Remote Server

Administration tool can be downloaded from the Microsoft website.

Installing Windows Media Services

IT professionals will quickly recognize that the installation process for Windows Media

Services on Windows Server 2008 R2 is not as simplistic as it was with previous Windows

Server operating systems. In the past, an IT professional would simply add the Windows

Media Services component through Add and Remove Programs as it was included with the

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CHAPTER 36

Windows Media Services

base Windows Server operating system. With Windows Server 2008 R2, more steps are

involved in the installation process. Windows Media Services is no longer included with

the Windows Server 2008 R2 family of operating systems, as it is offered as a separate out-

of-band download. Therefore, IT professionals will need to download the Microsoft

Update Standalone (MUS) package from the Microsoft website and install it on Windows

Server 2008 R2. Unlike Windows Server 2008, there is only one MUS package that needs

to be downloaded for all editions of Windows Server 2008 R2. After the installation is

complete, the next step is to add the Streaming Media Services role in Server Manager.

Downloading the Windows Media Services Source Files

As mentioned earlier, the first step when installing the Windows Media Services role on

Windows Server 2008 R2 is to obtain the Windows Media Services for Windows Server

2008 R2 installer files from the Microsoft website.

The out-of-band Windows Media Services installation files for Windows Server 2008 R2

can be obtained from the Windows Media Services 2008 website at http://www.microsoft.

com/windows/windowsmedia/forpros/serve/prodinfo2008.aspx.

Conducting the Windows Media Services Installation

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To install the Windows Media Services role on a Windows Server 2008 R2 system, perform

the following steps:

1. Obtain the appropriate Streaming Media Services installer file from the Microsoft

website.

2. Click Download and run the installation immediately by clicking Open in the File

Download dialog box or click Save to download the file to your computer. The latter

choice allows you to conduct the installation at a later time.

NOTE

If the incorrect installation file is selected, the Windows Update Standalone Installer

will provide a warning message to indicate the update does not apply to your system.

3. After the installation for Windows Media Services is complete, click Start,

Administrative Tools, Server Manager. If Server Manager was running during the

install, close and reopen it to display the newly available role.

4. Select Add Roles by right-clicking Roles in Server Manager, which is located in the

left pane.

5. On the Select Server Roles screen, install the role by selecting Streaming Media

Services in the Roles section, and then click Next.

6. Review the messages in the Streaming Media Services screen, and click Next.

7. Select the desired Streaming Media Services role services to install. The role services

options include Windows Media Server, Web-based Administration, and Multicast

Installing Windows Media Services

1491

and Logging Agent. For this example, Windows Media Server was selected, as illus-

trated in Figure 36.1. Click Next to continue.

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36

FIGURE 36.1

Selecting the role services to install for Streaming Media Services.

8. Select the data transfer protocol for streaming media content, and then click Next.

The two options available are as follows:

.
Real Time Streaming Protocol (RTSP)—
Delivers unicast streams to comput-

ers running Windows Media Player 9 Series or later, or Windows Media

Services 9 Series.

.
Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP)—
Delivers unicast streams to all

versions of Windows Media Player and Windows Media Services, regardless of

version. This option is only available to install if Internet Information Services

(IIS) is installed.

9. Confirm the installation selections, and click Install to install the selected roles, role

services, and features.

10. To complete the installation, review the installation results, and then click Close.

Configuring Windows Media Services

After being installed, the services for Windows Media Services are set to start automati-

cally. The next step is to configure Windows Media Services to meet the video and audio

publishing requirements of your organization. To do so, launch the Windows Media

Services MMC administration tool by selecting Start, All Programs, Administrative Tools,

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CHAPTER 36

Windows Media Services

Windows Media Services. You will see a screen similar to the one shown in Figure 36.2.

The Getting Started tab includes informational items on Streaming Media Basics and

Resources on the Web. In addition, if you select the server in the left pane, additional

Getting Started tabs can be found in the right pane.

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FIGURE 36.2

The Windows Media Services MMC administration tool.

Using Windows Media Services for Real-Time Live

Broadcasts

A Windows Media Services server can be used as the host to broadcast real-time videos.

With a camera attached to the broadcasting server, video can be captured and published

to multiple users. Real-time live broadcast videos are commonly used for organizational

press releases or announcements, distributed broadcasting of conference sessions or train-

ing classes, or video-published company meetings.

Configuring a Server for Real-Time Live Broadcasts

To configure a Windows Media Services system for real-time live broadcasts, a publish-

ing point needs to be configured for live communications. The configuration process is

as follows:

1. In the Windows Media Services MMC, right-click on Publishing Points in the naviga-

tion tree, and select Add Publishing Point (Wizard).

2. Click Next to move past the Welcome screen.

Using Windows Media Services for Real-Time Live Broadcasts

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3. Enter a publishing point name that describes the function. In the case of this live

broadcast, you might choose something like Live Company Mtg 09-05-09. Click

Next to continue.

NOTE

The name of a publishing point should not have special characters, such as <, >, \, ?,

%, &, ‘, #, “, {, }, [, ], or *. These characters can interfere with the successful publishing