Setting up Windows Media Services with Internet Information Server (IIS)

How to set up Windows Media Services to stream HTTP on a Computer with IIS Web Server Installed

It is possible to have Windows Media Services stream HTTP on a computer running Internet Information Server. However, except for small-scale video deployments, it is not recommended. High demand for video streams will reduce the delivery speed of Web graphics, and high demand for Web pages will hurt video stream quality. This is especially true if both services are trying to push their output through the same network interface card (NIC).

If Windows Media Services will not be streaming HTTP, both servers can simply be installed and run from the same computer without special settings.

If you do want to set up Windows Media Services to stream HTTP on the same computer as an IIS Web Server, follow these steps:

Note: This process requires two static Internet Protocol (IP) addresses and two corresponding DNS names to be assigned to this computer. This set-up will not work on a computer using DHCP to assign its IP address.

  1. Obtain a second IP address and DNS name for the machine. Contact your system administrator for this.

    If you are using two NICs in this machine (recommended), and have already set up the second NIC with the second IP address, go to step 6. Otherwise:

  2. Click Start, Control Panel, Network, Protocols, TCP/IP.

  3. Click Properties, Advanced.

  4. Under IP Addresses click Add. Enter the second IP address here.

  5. Click OK to close all dialog boxes. Reboot your computer if you are prompted to.

  6. Open the IIS Internet Service Manager and select your Web site.

  7. Right-click and select Properties.

  8. Click on Web Site and next to IP Address click Advanced.

  9. Under Multiple Identities for this Web Site click on Add.

  10. Enter the original IP address of this machine, and set TCP Port to 80.

  11. Click OK to close all dialog boxes.

    Click Start, Control Panel, Services and stop the following services:

    • Windows Media Unicast Service

    • World Wide Web Publishing Service

  12. Click Start, Run, and then type in "regedit". Click OK.

  13. Open HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/SYSTEM/CurrentControlSet/Services and click nsunicast.

  14. Double-click DependOnService.

  15. Click just to the right of the text and backspace once to erase the last dot from that line, then enter "W3SVC".

  16. Click on the left (Hex) side of the form at the end of the last line (to the right of the number 43) and enter four zeros. The entry should look like this:

0000 52 50 43 53 53 00 4E 54RPCSS.NT 0008 4C 4D 53 53 59 00 57 33 LMSSP.W3 0010 53 56 43 00 00 SVC..

  1. Click OK to close the [NAME] dialog box, then exit the Registry Editor window.

  2. Reboot the computer.

The process should be complete. To confirm, check to make sure the Windows Media Services and Web server service have started, and open the IIS Internet Service Manager to make sure the Web server is running.