To simulate a wrapper for a multicast publishing point

1. Select the broadcast publishing point that you want to use for the multicast.
2. If you have not already done so, run the Multicast Announcement Wizard to create an announcement file (with an .asx file name extension) for the publishing point. Note the location of the announcement file.
3. Identify the URL of the content you want users to receive before connecting to the multicast. The location of the wrapper content is determined by the type of content you are using:
   • If you want the wrapper content to be streamed from a Windows Media server, it must be associated with an on-demand publishing point.
   • If you want the wrapper content to be downloaded from a Web server, it must be associated with an appropriate Web folder.
4. Using a text editor, such as Microsoft Notepad, open the .asx file associated with the broadcast publishing point mentioned in step 2.
5. Do the following:
   • Find the first entry in the announcement file:

     <asx version = "3.0">
     

   • After this line, type the following:

       <entry>
     	<ref href = "protocol://servername/filename"/>
       </entry>
     
     

     Replace protocol with an appropriate protocol type—either mms if the content is on a Windows Media server or http if the content is on a Web server.

     Replace servername with the DNS name or IP address of the server that contains the content.

     Replace filename with the name of the content that you want to stream to users prior to the multicast content.

   The multicast content requested by the user will continue streaming while the on-demand wrapper content plays. Consider keeping the length of the wrapper content short so that the user misses as little of the requested content as possible.

6. Save your changes to the announcement file.

   Users that connect to your multicast will receive the content specified in step 5 before being connected to the multicast content.

Note

• Multicast streaming and the WMS Multicast Data Writer plug-in are available only if Windows Media Services 9 Series is running on the following editions of the operating system: Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition and Windows Server 2003, Datacenter Edition. If you are running Windows Server 2003, Standard Edition, these features are not supported.

Related topics

• About publishing point types
• Announcing content
• Setting up a broadcast