RealServer 8 is designed on a new architecture that facilitates greater extensibility and interoperability with third-party solutions. This chapter discusses the features that have been added to this version of RealServer, the features that were new in version 7, and the compatibility of version 8 with earlier versions of the product.
The following features are making their first appearance in this version of RealServer.
This feature enables a set of RealServers within an organization to use the same license file. Features can be configured independently on individual RealServers, while sharing a pool of connections. For more information, see "Distributed Licensing" in Chapter 8.
For those clients that can receive RealServer content only by way of the method known as "HTTP cloaking", you can now create URLs that list the ports to try. This way, the client doesn't waste time by trying to discern the correct port to use. For more information, see "Port Hinting" in Chapter 8.
You can now use parallel sources as input for RealServer. Should one stream become unavailable, RealServer will automatically switch all users to the next available stream. For more information, see Chapter 4, "Sources of Content".
The splitting feature has been completely redesigned to provide greater scalability and reliability. Most notably, multicasting between transmitter and receiver is now possible. For more information, see Chapter 12, "Splitting Live Presentations". If you've used splitting in earlier versions of RealServer, see "Compatibility with Earlier Versions of RealServer" for special instructions.
RealServer 8 comes with an optional stream encryption feature; start RealSystem Administrator and click Security>Encryption for more details.
RealServer 8 supports even more data types than before: MPEG Audio (MP3) and Real G2 with Flash version 4 can be streamed from this version of RealServer. QuickTime version 4 files can be streamed to Apple's QuickTime 4 player. Refer to the Readme file, located at http://service.real.com/help/library/guides/server8/readme.html, for more information.
This section lists and describes the features that were new to RealServer 7.
Dynamically add a streaming advertisement to a requested media clip. Seamlessly integrate RealServer with ad servers and services. For more information, see Chapter 20, "Streaming Targeted Ads".
As in versions 3, 4, and 5, RealServer 7 and later segment streams and host content on behalf of other users. For more information, see Chapter 17, "ISP Hosting".
In RealServer 7, you can limit error logs to a specified size. For more information, see Chapter 19, "Reporting RealServer Activity".
Scalable multicasting now includes a feature that enables clients to receive unicast transmissions if their multicast connections fail. See "Using Unicasting as a Backup Method".
As you make changes to RealServer using RealSystem Administrator, those modifications that require you to restart RealServer are listed on a Pending Changes page. The Restart Server button at the top of the RealSystem Administrator window changes color to indicate that new changes are ready to be implemented, and a Pending Changes button appears as well. For more information, see "Using RealSystem Administrator".
Earlier versions of RealServer didn't archive SureStream files, nor could SureStream files be included in a simulated live event. For more information, see "Creating a Live Source with G2SLTA".
The view source feature enables users of RealPlayer 7 to view the source code for SMIL presentations or media clips. You can also browse the on-demand content available to your RealServer. For more information, see "Displaying Source Code for SMIL Files and Media Clips".
RealServer version 8 is fully compatible with RealServer 3 and later, with the exception of the splitting feature. Changes to splitting are described in "Compatibility with Earlier Versions of RealServer".
Presentations created with earlier versions of RealSystem tools still work seamlessly with RealServer 8; just be sure to place them in the Content directory. To use encoding software that was developed before RealSystem 6 (such as RealVideo Encoder 4), use the information provided in "Pre-G2 Encoders".
To use new features (RealText, for instance) in an existing presentation, you must first update the presentation by creating a SMIL file and modifying the URL that refers to the presentation.