You can administer Windows Media Services in a variety of ways
depending on your needs and your environment. Windows Media
Services can be administered by using the following interfaces:
Windows Media Services snap-in. This interface enables
you to use Microsoft Management Console (MMC) to manage your
Windows Media server. You can add the snap-in to Microsoft
Management Console on any computer running Windows Server
2003, Standard Edition, Windows Server 2003, Enterprise
Edition, or Windows Server 2003, Datacenter Edition, or you
can access the snap-in by using a Remote Desktop connection.
Windows Media Services Administrator for the Web. This
interface makes remote administration of your server easy through
the use of a Web browser. Using a Web interface allows you to
administer Windows Media Services over a firewall, on a
low-bandwidth network connection, or in a non-Windows
environment.
Command-line scripts. This interface enables you to
manage your server quickly by using a Telnet connection or batch
programs.
Once you have selected an administration method, you can manage
the settings of your Windows Media server. These settings control
the delivery of content to your client and may apply to properties,
plug-ins, publishing points, and server-side playlists.
Properties are used to set rules that apply to the core
behavior of Windows Media Services. You can apply properties to
either the entire server or to specific publishing points. Plug-ins
are used to supply additional features, such as logging,
authentication, data sources, and control protocols. You can apply
plug-ins to an entire Windows Media server or to specific
publishing points. To learn more about properties and plug-ins, see
About properties and
plug-ins.
Server-side playlists are collections of content that the
server streams to clients. Users perceive playlists as a single
streaming experience. To learn more about playlists, see Understanding playlists.
If you use a network management console, such as Hewlett Packard
HP OpenView, Compaq Insight Manager XE, and Dell OpenManage, you
can receive events through Simple Network Management Protocol
(SNMP) and Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI). With these
events, you can keep apprised of server activity and react quickly
to situations as they arise. To learn more about options for
monitoring events, see Monitoring performance.
Note
Regardless of the interface you use to access
your server, you must have administrative rights and privileges for
the server to manage it or change its settings. For more
information about administrative rights and privileges, see
Limiting user rights.
Note