Chapter 4: Customizing RealServer Features

All RealServer settings are customized through the RealSystem Administrator. This chapter describes how to use RealSystem Administrator as well as the basic settings used by all RealServers.

Customizing RealServer

When the RealServer installation program completes, it asks if you want to run RealSystem Administrator. If you choose yes, RealSystem Administrator displays. To make changes to any feature, click on the appropriate category listed under Configure. Make the changes and click Apply.

Starting RealSystem Administrator

You can view the configuration of your RealServer from nearly any browser on your network. Compatible browsers are Netscape Navigator version 4.0 or higher and Microsoft Internet Explorer version 4.0 or higher.

To start RealSystem Administrator:

Start RealServer. See Chapter 3: Starting and Stopping RealServer.
In a browser, type the following address:
```
http://realserver.company.com:AdminPort/admin/index.html
```
where:

realserver is the name the machine on which RealServer is installed.

company.com is the name of the domain in which RealServer exists.

Or, rather than typing the name and domain of the system on which RealServer is installed, you can type the IP address.

AdminPort is the port which RealSystem Administrator uses to connect to RealServer. You are asked for a port number during setup. Use that port number here.

The following URL will start RealSystem Administrator if it is typed in the browser on the same computer as RealServer (be sure to substitute your port number for AdminPort):
```
http://127.0.0.1:AdminPort/admin/index.html
```
The following command also works on the same computer:
```
http://localhost:AdminPort/admin/index.html
```
You are prompted for your user name and password; these will match the values you entered during setup. (To change these values, see Chapter 10: Authenticating RealServer Visitors.) Click OK.
RealSystem Administrator appears.

Using RealSystem Administrator

Once you have started RealServer and then RealSystem Administrator, you can change RealServer features with the instructions below:

To customize RealServer settings:

In RealSystem Administrator's left-hand frame, click the appropriate category below Configure.
Change the values in the page on the right.
When you have finished changing values, click Apply.
RealSystem Administrator makes the changes to the configuration file.

Restricting Access to RealSystem Administrator

To ensure that only certain people can use RealSystem Administrator to make changes to RealServer, you can authenticate all connections to RealSystem Administrator. Instructions are given in "RealSystem Administrator User Authentication".

Configuration File

Changes made with RealSystem Administrator are stored in the configuration file. It is a text file formatted with tags which are based on XML (Extensible Markup Language). This language introduces great flexibility to the configuration file format and allows third-parties to use this file and add to its functionality. Syntax of this file is given in Appendix B: Configuration File Contents.

Be sure that your configuration file is stored where only authorized users can make changes to it.

Tip
Keep a backup copy of the configuration file. You may need it if you make changes to this file that you later want to undo or if you accidentally delete the working copy.

	Tip
Keep a backup copy of the configuration file. You may need it if you make changes to this file that you later want to undo or if you accidentally delete the working copy.

Editing the Configuration File with a Text Editor

You can change the RealServer settings by opening the configuration file with any text editor. You can also add variables that aren't included in the initial file, but are listed in this manual in Appendix B: Configuration File Contents. In addition, third-party plug-ins may require their own parameters and variables. Use a text editor to add them to the configuration file.

To make changes to existing settings in this file is simple; this manual provides guidance. If, however, you plan to add new sections, you will need to understand the syntax of the entire file. The file is organized into sections. This is not strictly necessary, but helps with clarity. The structure of the configuration file is described in detail in Appendix A: Configuration File Syntax.

The default name of the configuration file is rmserver.cfg, but if you have multiple servers you may want to rename the files so as to easily identify which server you're working with.

When you edit the configuration file manually, be sure to use correct syntax, because RealServer looks for exact spellings and correct use of angle brackets. RealServer does not display messages related to syntax errors; instead, it will ignore those settings it does not understand. It may use minimal settings. See the "Minimum Settings" table.

Note
Always restart RealServer after changing any settings in the configuration file with a text editor.

	Note
Always restart RealServer after changing any settings in the configuration file with a text editor.

RealSystem Administrator shows the configuration file settings of the RealServer configuration file in use; use caution if you are switching between manually editing the file and using RealSystem Administrator to edit it.

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

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

Common Settings

Regardless of which features are in use, certain powerful settings apply to every RealServer. They are described in this section.

Port Variables

Port settings tell RealServer where to listen for requests. Ports are described in detail in Chapter 2: Overview.

If your RealServer and Web server are on the same machine, you may need to modify the HTTP Port setting. See "Running Web Servers and RealServer on the Same System" for additional information.

Warning
If you change the port settings from their default values, you must also change the links to show the port numbers.

	Warning
If you change the port settings from their default values, you must also change the links to show the port numbers.

To add port settings:

In RealSystem Administrator, click General Setup. Click Ports.
Tell RealServer where to listen for material requested via PNA (these begin with pnm://) by typing the correct value in the PNA Port box. The default value is 7070.
Previous versions of RealSystem used this protocol. If you have Ram files from older versions of RealSystem that use URLs that begin with pnm://, be sure to include this setting.
Tell RealServer where to listen for HTTP requests by typing the correct value in the HTTP Port box. The default value for this setting is 8080.
Tell RealServer where to listen for RTSP requests (these begin with rtsp://) by typing the correct value in the RTSP Port box. At installation, the value is 554.

Note
To use a port lower than 1024 on a UNIX system, you must be logged on as super-user.
Tell RealServer where to listen for RealSystem Administrator connection requests by typing any unique port number in the Admin Port box.
When you have finished making changes, click Apply.

	Note
To use a port lower than 1024 on a UNIX system, you must be logged on as super-user.

Mount Points

Mount points on this page refer to on-demand clips. For a complete description about the purpose of mount points, see "Mount Points". Mount points in other sections, such as for live material, are described in their respective chapters.

Main Mount Point (/)

The mount point shown with a single forward slash in the Name list is the mount point for most of the content served by your RealServer.

Warning
If you change the main mount point itself, you will have to modify any links that include the original mount point. Changing the base path only changes where RealServer looks for content.

	Warning
If you change the main mount point itself, you will have to modify any links that include the original mount point. Changing the base path only changes where RealServer looks for content.

To modify the main mount point:

In RealSystem Administrator, click General Setup. Click Mount Points.
In the Names list, select /.
To change the mount point name, modify the name shown in Mount Point. The default name is a forward slash (/).
To change the base path, type the new path in the Base Path box.
Click Apply.

Adding Another Mount Point

To add another mount point for on-demand content, use the instructions below.

In RealSystem Administrator, click General Setup. Click Mount Points.
Click Add. A new browser window appears.
Type a description or name for this mount point in the Description box.
Type the new mount point in the Mount Point box. It must be unique.
Identify the location of the content by typing the full path in the Base Path box.
Click Add.