Understanding Windows Media Services


Windows Media Services is a built-in component to the Windows Server 2003 operating system. Windows Media Services enables the administrators of an organization to organize video and audio files to be published to other users. The publishing function sets the bandwidth that will be used during the file distribution, controls the number of users accessing audio and video files at the same time, and manages the overall bandwidth demands of the Windows Media Services functions.

By properly configuring and optimizing media services functions, an organization can minimize the excessive demands of media services distribution over the network. The decisions that need to be made include whether distribution will be

  • Real-time live broadcasts

  • Single broadcasts at a time

  • Multiple files combined to a single broadcast

  • Multiple files in a single directory for selective broadcasting

The various publishing options are highlighted throughout this chapter on best practices, tips, and tricks on configuring and implementing the publishing services to meet various organizational publishing needs.

System Requirements for Windows Media Services

Besides requiring a Windows Server 2003 system (Standard Edition, Enterprise Edition, or Datacenter Edition), the basic requirements for Windows Media Services are as follows:

  • 550MHz processor

  • 1GB RAM memory

  • Ethernet network adapter running TCP/IP

  • 521MB of free disk space (6MB for system files, 15MB for installation files, and 500MB minimum for content storage)

Note

Some features, such as the Multicast Content Delivery functionality, require the Windows Media Services to be installed on a Windows Server 2003 Enterprise Edition or Datacenter Edition to operate.


The key to the Windows Media Services system is having enough processing speed to handle the media streaming requests, enough RAM to cache the media streams, and enough disk space to store the video files being shared and published.

Tip

To improve the performance of a Windows Media Services system, placing the operating system and program files on one drive and placing the video files on another drive set will distribute the normal server processes from the read/write access of the video files. Additionally, placing striped drive sets with ample hard drive controller cache can improve both the sequential and parallel read/write requests of the video files.


Testing the Load on a Windows Media Server

For organizations that want to test the performance load of actual video read/write requests to a Windows Media Server, Microsoft provides a load simulation tool called the Windows Media Load Simulator for Windows Media Services 9 Series. This tool can be downloaded free from the Microsoft Web site at http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/9series/server/loadsim.aspx.

After downloading the load simulation tool, you can install it by running the wmloadsetup.exe program. You will be prompted to agree to the licensing of the tool. After you click Yes, the tool installs. After installation, you will be asked if you would like to start the load simulation program. If you click Yes, the simulator will begin. If you choose to launch the simulator at a later date, the program can be accessed by choosing Start, Programs, Windows Media Load Simulator, and then selecting the Windows Media Load Simulator application icon.

Once in the Load Simulator screen, click Properties to enter the selected options to test video load on a Windows Media server. The settings for the property configuration should be similar to the ones shown in Figure 37.1. After the properties have been selected, click the Start Test button to begin the simulation process.

Figure 37.1. Properties page for the load simulator tool.


Note

Although the simulation program is called a load simulator, the reading and writing of information is actually being transacted against a live Windows Media server. Unlike some load simulators that simulate even a server operation, the Windows Media Load Simulator for Windows Media Services 9 Series is actually running against a fully operational server. This provides real-world transactions to test hardware, software, and LAN/WAN traffic patterns for testing purposes.


Installing Windows Media Services

Because Windows Media Services comes as part of the Windows Server 2003 operating system, the installation process is merely adding in the Windows Media Services component. To install the component on an existing Windows Server 2003 system, do the following:

1.

Click Start, Settings, Control Panel and then double-click Add/Remove Programs.

2.

Click the Add/Remove Windows Components option and then scroll down to the Windows Media Services section and select the check box for the desired option. Click Next to continue installing components, and then click Finished when done.

Configuring the Windows Media Services

Once installed, the services for Windows Media Services are set to run automatically. The next step is to configure Windows Media Services to meet the video and audio publishing requirements of the organization. To do so, launch the Windows Media Services MMC administration tool by selecting Start, Programs, Administrative Tools, Windows Media Services. You will see a screen similar to the one in Figure 37.2.

Figure 37.2. The Windows Media Services MMC administration tool.





Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Unleashed(c) R2 Edition
Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Unleashed (R2 Edition)
ISBN: 0672328984
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2006
Pages: 499

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