Appendix B: Configuration File Contents

This appendix gives brief information about the contents of the configuration file for those administrators interested in editing it directly.

Editing the Configuration File

For those RealServer administrators who prefer to modify features by editing the configuration file directly, this appendix shows sample configuration file contents with brief descriptions. Detailed descriptions can be found in the chapters that describe each subject.

If you are going to modify the configuration file directly, please read the following sections:

• Appendix A: Configuration File Syntax-explains the structure of this file

• "Editing the Configuration File with a Text Editor" in Chapter 4-contains instructions on modifying the configuration file with a text editor

It is recommended that you first use RealSystem Administrator to make changes, and then examine the configuration file to learn how changes are made. Noticing how lists are created and changed will be especially instructive.

	Warning
	Exit RealSystem Administrator before opening the configuration file with a text editor or unexpected changes may result.

Elements of the Configuration File

Settings are grouped into like categories. Variables that are not part of lists can appear anywhere in the configuration file, but are grouped here for clarity.

Most configuration file variables closely match names in RealSystem Administrator. Differences are noted here.

Ports

Port settings for RTSPPort, PNAPort, and HTTPPort are described in Chapter 4: Customizing RealServer Features. MonitorPort is described in Chapter 12: Monitoring Activity.

<Var PNAPort="7070"/>

<Var HTTPPort="8080"/>

<Var MonitorPort="9090"/>

<Var AdminPort="7845"/>

Paths

LogPath and ErrorLogPath are described in Chapter 13: Reporting. PIDPath is described in Chapter 5: Advanced Features. PluginDirectory is described on Chapter 4: Customizing RealServer Features. LicenseDirectory is given on Chapter 3: Starting and Stopping RealServer.

Windows NT Variables

Path variables, along with typical paths used in Windows NT, are shown here.

<Var LicenseDirectory="C:\Program File
\Real\RealServer\License"/>

UNIX

One additional setting is found on RealServer running on a UNIX system: PIDPath.

<Var PidPath="/usr/bin/RealServer
/Logs/rmserver.pid"/>

Passwords

MonitorPassword is described in Chapter 12: Monitoring Activity.

MIME Types

Setting up RealServer to send correct MIME type information with clips is described in Chapter 3: Starting and Stopping RealServer.

Caching

This section allows media caches to request and cache streams on behalf of clients. Caching is described in Chapter 5: Advanced Features.

To selectively block media caches from requesting your content, add the media cache's IP address to the AccessControl list. In addition to specifying the IP address, indicate the port number to which access should be denied (usually 7802).

To block all media cache requests, set TSEnable to False.

To disable logging of cache requests, set the TSLog variable to 0.

IP Binding

The ability to reserve specific addresses for RealServer's use is explained in Chapter 5: Advanced Features. This list uses variables numbered sequentially: Address_01, Address_02, and so on. Use one for each IP address you want to set aside for RealServer. Use the RealServer's IP address or DNS name for each variable; however, the IP address allows RealServer to be more efficient.

RealServer will bind to the specified addresses only; it will not bind to localhost.

If you don't use any values for the variables in the IPBinding list, RealServer binds to the host IP address and localhost. It does not bind to any others.

</List>

Live Archiving

The live archive feature is described in Chapter 7: Broadcasting Presentations.

For every virtual directory of live streams that you want to archive, create a list. The list must have the same name as the virtual directory. To archive all streams that arrive at the main content directory, name the list with an asterisk (*).

Each list must include either TargetDirectory (to indicate where to store the archived streams) or NoArchive (to indicate that the streams should not be archived) ; optional variables are FileSize, and FileTime, and BandwidthNegotiation.

</List>

Allowance

Settings in this section refer to the allowance plug-in. They are described in Chapter 9: Limiting Access to RealServer.

If you establish values for both ClientConnections and MaxBandwidth, RealServer will limit access when the lower threshold is reached.

When set to On, ValidPlayerOnly sends a message to any clients other than RealNetworks RealPlayer version 5.0 or RealNetworks RealPlayer G2 directing them to upgrade to the latest version of RealPlayer. If set to Off, all clients can receive all clips. In Basic Server and Basic Server Plus, this is set to On and cannot be changed.

<Var ValidPlayersOnly="True"/>

<Var MinPlayerVersion="2"/>

<Var MinPlayerProtocol="0"/>

<Var PlusOnly="False"/>

HTTP Support

This feature, which indicates the virtual directories whose content can be streamed via HTTP, is explained in Chapter 9: Limiting Access to RealServer. Each Path variable gives the name of a virtual directory whose content can be streamed via HTTP.

Be sure that Admin and Ramgen are on this list; Admin refers to RealSystem Administrator, which is served via HTTP. Clips streamed with Ramgen may be requested in HTTP format. Also, the mount point used in the Scalable Multicast list must be included; this value is usually scalable. And push splitting uses HTTP for the initial connection conversation; add the push splitting mount point to this list, usually farm.

</List>

Access Control

Restricting access to RealServer content via the requesting client's IP address is described in Chapter 9: Limiting Access to RealServer. For every address or address range to which you want to restrict access, create a list with a unique number. The number can be any length, but a number of more than one digit is recommended in case more lists are added later; with multiple digits, the new lists can be inserted between existing lists.

Each list is called a rule. Rules are processed in numerical order. RealServer searches the list of rules to find the first rule that matches the address. Because RealServer searches the list of rules in numerical order, make your broadest categories first.

Within each list, the following settings are used: Access, Transport, To, From, and a list named Ports.

File Systems

The FSMount section of the configuration file gives the names of all the configurable file system plug-ins in use. The plug-ins themselves are stored in a directory indicated by the PluginDirectory variable.

All requests of the RealServer are processed by plug-ins. Plug-ins control which features are available. The modular plug-in design means that new features can be programmed and easily substituted for the existing plug-ins. New plug-ins may require different list arrangements and variables; check with the developer of the plug-in for this information.

	Additional Information
	RealSystem G2 SDK Developer's Guide provides developers with the public interfaces used to extend and customize RealSystem G2 to stream new datatypes, create new clients, or to customize RealServer by building a new plug-in.

ShortName Variable

Each list within FSMount gives a short name for the plug-in. The short name is also stored within the plug-in file itself, and RealServer uses this to identify the correct file to use. To add a plug-in to your RealServer, you must know the name to use in the FSMount section; this name is supplied by the developer of the plug-in. The short name is referenced with the ShortName variable in each file systems list.

Local File System

The local file system, which handles requests for nearly all streamed media content, is described in Chapter 2: Overview.

The local file system handles requests for static media clips. It uses the variables ShortName, MountPoint and BasePath.

If clips are stored on more than one disk drive, add multiple local file system lists, each with its own mount point. The list names need to be unique.

</List>

RealSystem Administrator

Two files systems work together to operate RealSystem Administrator: the local file system and the administration file system.

The administration file system accepts the initial URL for RealSystem Administrator. It requests the HTML files from the local file system. Once the local file system delivers the HTML files, the administration file system looks up your RealServer's values and displays them at the appropriate points in RealSystem Administrator.

Three variables are used for the RealAdministrator list: ShortName, MountPoint, and BasePath.

Five variables are use in the RealAdministrator_Files list: ShortName, MountPoint, Authorized_User_Group, Authentication, and Realm.

This tool is described in Chapter 4: Customizing RealServer Features.

Ramgen

Ramgen is described in Chapter 2: Overview and in RealSystem G2 Production Guide. There are only two variables associated with Ramgen: ShortName and MountPoint.

</List>

Encoders

G2 Encoders

Receiving streams from both RealSystem G2 encoders and earlier versions are explained in Chapter 7: Broadcasting Presentations. These variables are used in this list: ShortName, MountPoint, Port, AssociatedMediaPath, and Realm.

Unlike other plug-ins, encoder lists cannot have multiple mount points.

Pre-G2-Encoders

The list for encoders such as RealEncoder and RealPublisher versions 5.0 and earlier uses these variables: ShortName, MountPoint, Port, AssociatedMediaPath, Realm, and Password.

Unlike other plug-ins, encoder lists cannot have multiple mount points.   





<List Name="Pre_G2_Encoders">


  <Var ShortName="pn-live3">
Short name of 5.0 and older live encoder plugin. See "RealNetworks Plug-in Names" table for values. 

  <Var MountPoint="/live/"/>
Portion of URL that indicates the type of request and therefore which file system will handle the request. 

  <Var Port="5050"/>
Port to which older encoders will send their live streams. Default value is 5050. 

  <Var AssociatedMediaPath=
  "events"/>
Name of directory containing event files. A live stream whose name matches a file in this directory will merge its live streams with the  events. 

  <Var Password="letmein"/>
Password used by encoders to connect to RealServer. 

</List>

Splitting

Push Splitting

The push splitting method is described in Chapter 8: Splitting and Multicasting. Settings that go on both the source RealServer and the splitter are ShortName, MountPoint, Port, SplitterHostName, and the FarmSplitSources list.

The source uses the SplitterResendBuffer and SplitterSourceTimeout variables.

The splitter uses the SplitterSourceList with one or many sublists, and the SplitterBufferDelay, SplitterTimeout, SplitterSourceProbeInterval, and SupportPathDirectory variables.

You can create another push splitting list by copying the list structure and changing the name of the overall list from Splitter_Farm to something different.

Pull Splitting

The second splitting method, pull splitting, is described in Chapter 8: Splitting and Multicasting.

Only three variables appear in the pull splitting: ShortName, MountPoint, and Port. The source RealServer and the splitter have the same information in their Splitter_DoubleURL sections, but each system is interested in different information: the RealServer looks at the Port value, and the splitter looks at the mount point.

</List>

Multicasting

Two methods of multicasting are available: scalable and back-channel.

Scalable Multicasting

Scalable multicasting is described in Chapter 8: Splitting and Multicasting. Located within the FSMount list, scalable multicasting uses the following variables: ShortName, Enabled, HostAddress, MountPoint, PortRange, AddressRange, VirtualPath, and TTL.

Create one list within the Sources list for every virtual path you want to make available for scalable multicasting.

Be sure to add the mount point to the HTTPDeliverable list.

Back-Channel Multicasting

Unlike scalable multicasting, back-channel multicast settings are not located within the FSMount list. Back-channel multicasting, both RTSP and PNA methods, is described in Chapter 8: Splitting and Multicasting.

Settings used with this list are AddressRange, DeliveryOnly, PNAPort, RTSPPort, Resend, and TTL.

Authentication and Commerce

Authentication is described in Chapter 10: Authenticating RealServer Visitors.

Authentication Realms

A realm is a way of associating a group of users and the protocol used to verify their credentials.

Each sublist of AuthenticationRealms gives properties for a different realm. Every realm has a name (identified by the Realm variable), and a list that identifies what type of authentication is used in that realm. Depending on which authentication type you choose, different variables are required within the sublist (see the "AuthenticationRealms PluginID Settings" table). When RealServer is installed on a Windows NT system, you can take advantage of NT authentication and direct RealServer to use the list of authorized users.

Commerce Rules List

The commerce rules list associates part of an URL with authentication. When RealServer looks through the URL to decide which plugin should process the request, it compares each section of the URL with the ProtectedVirtualPath. Should this match, RealServer looks at the other information within the list to determine which realm protects the content, and which database lists the permissions (if any).

Each sublist within SecureContent associates the mount point with the information. The mount point for RealSystem Administrator does not need to go here.

Variables used with sublists are ProtectedVirtualPath, Realm, UseGUIDValidation, EvaluatePermissions, AllowDuplicateIDs, and DatabaseID. Use Realm or UseGUIDValidation, but not both.

Player Authentication

In player authentication, the client sends a special string to RealServer indicating that the client is registering. The GUIDRegistrationPrefixes list identifies the special string (the GUIDRegistrationPrefix variable) and the database in which to store the player identification. You must embed this string in the link on teh Web page.

Two variables are required for each sublist: GUIDRegistrationPrefix and DatabaseID.

Databases List

The databases list is the master list of available databases for each type of authentication. Databases store usernames and passwords of authorized users.

Within the list, sublists associate database plugins with location information.

The options available to each sublist are PluginID, Path, DBName, DBLoginPassword, and DBLoginPassword. The last two are only required if the PathToDBPlugin is set to ppvm3260 or ppvo3260.

Logging

Logging and reporting features are described in Chapter 13: Reporting. Variables which control the locations of the access and error log files are described in "Paths" of this chapter.

<Var StatsMask="0"/>

<Var LogRollFrequency="4W"/>

<Var LogRollSize="50"/>

Disable log file rolling by changing the LogRollFrequency and LogRollSize variables to 0.

Copyright © 1998 RealNetworks
This file last updated on 11/20/98 at 15:21:52.