Methods for nontransparent access to a streaming media cache

When to use nontransparent access to streaming media caches

Network Appliance recommends that you enable transparent proxying for client access to a streaming media cache. However, if you do not want to set up transparent proxying for streaming media service, you can set up nontransparent access to a streaming media cache.

For RealNetworks, WMP 7, and QuickTime media players

Users of the following media players must configure them to point to a streaming media cache if transparent proxying is not configured for streaming media service:

RealPlayer media player
Windows WMP 7 media player
QuickTime media player

Users who request streaming media typically do so by clicking links on Web pages or by entering the same streaming URL in the media player that they would if a streaming media cache were not deployed.

For WMP media players prior to WMP 7

Users of WMP media players prior to WMP 7 can enter URLs into the media player; however, the URL they need to enter to send the request to a streaming media cache is different from the URL they need to enter to send the request to the streaming server.

The NetCache solution for supporting pre-WMP 7 media players is to deploy a Web cache and a streaming media cache and configure the Web cache for Windows Media metafile rewriting. Windows Media metafile rewriting enables MMS requests to be sent to the streaming media cache instead of to the WMT streaming server. The Web cache determines the location of the streaming media cache from the Windows Media metafile rewriting you have configured, and rewrites the destination address to be that of the streaming media cache instead of the WMT streaming server. When a pre-WMP 7 media player user clicks a link on a Web page, streaming requests are sent to the Web cache first, and then to the streaming media cache.

The same NetCache appliance can be configured to run as both a Web cache and streaming media cache, in which case the Windows Media metafile rewriting directs requests to the streaming media module on the same NetCache appliance. See Scenario: Deployment with a Windows Media server for more information.

Request distribution

If you are not using transparent caching for streaming media and you want requests distributed over multiple NetCache appliances, you must use DNS round robin or a Server Load Balancer. See Using DNS round robin for request distribution and Using a Server Load Balancer for request distribution.

If you want a failover method

If you have multiple NetCache appliances and you want to set up a method for failover to another cache, see Section B, Failover by using NetCache appliance takeover pairs.