Server settings

Status

    To check the status of the Darwin Streaming Server, you should confirm that the DarwinStreamingServer processes are running using the ps command in a terminal shell.

    Additionally, you can check the status remotely via a Web browser by modifying the web_stats_url parameter in the streamingserver.conf file. Set its value to be a keyword, such as "stats".

    For example, in the streamingserver.conf file, the parameter and its value would appear like this:

      web_stats_urlstats

    For security purposes, you should choose a value for web_stats_url that only you and those administering the Darwin Streaming Server will know.

    Then, to view remote server stats, use an HTML browser and enter the following URL:

      http://your_server_ip:554/stats

    Here is what each part of the URL means:

      URL component   Description    
    your_server_ip The Darwin Streaming Server IP address

    554 A valid RTSP port the server is listening on

    stats The value assigned to web_stats_url

Settings

    There are over 50 commented parameters in the streamingserver.conf file and most of them rarely need to be changed. The most common are discussed here.

    Maximum Connections:
    When the maximum number of connections is reached, users who try to connect see a message that the server is busy (error 453). The configuration parameter is maximum_connections and the associated value is expressed as a whole number greater than zero.

    Maximum Throughput:
    When the maximum throughput is reached, users who try to connect see a message that the server is busy (error 453). The configuration parameter controlling maximum throughput is maximum_bandwidth and the associated value is expressed in kilobits per second.

    RTSP Port:
    If you stream media to clients that are located behind a firewall, you may need to enable port 80. However, you can't run a Web server at the same time as the streaming server when this option is enabled unless your streaming server machine is multihomed. This would additionally require that you bind the Darwin Streaming Server to one IP address, and your Web server to another.

    If your server provides both streaming service and Web service, and you need to resolve firewall problems, you should move your Web server to another computer.

    To enable streaming on port 80, add it to the list of ports associated with the rtsp_port parameter.

    Log Access:
    The access history log shows the number of times each media file was accessed since the log was reset. For a complete list of what's stored in the log, see Access log format.

    You can enable or disable access logging by changing the value associated with the request_logging parameter to either "enabled" or "disabled."

    Log Errors:
    The error log shows error messages. Use this to troubleshoot problems with the server.

    You can enable or disable error logging by changing the value associated with the error_logging parameter to either "enabled" or "disabled."

    Media Directory:
    Anything in the directory you select is available for streaming.

    This includes
    individual files
    directories that contain files
    links to media located elsewhere

    The default location of the media directory is /usr/movies/. You can select another directory by changing the value associated with the movie_folder parameter.

 


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