Adding a File Transfer Stream to a Program

Adding a file transfer stream to a program multicasts a specified file or files to clients listening on the network. When adding a file transfer stream, you can:

Specify a directory and transfer all files in it.
Transfer a directory and all of its subdirectories and their files.
Use wild cards to specify groups of files.
Specify a file to transfer by its URL.
Specify a destination directory on the client by name or by environment variable.
Rename a file when it is transferred.
Transfer files with an appropriate URL to the Microsoft Internet Explorer cache.

To add a file transfer stream to a program

Under Programs, click Manage Programs.
Click to select the name of the program to which you want to add the stream.
Point to New on the Stream menu, and then click File Transfer.
To give the stream a name and description, click the General tab.
- In the Name box, type a name for the stream.
- In the Description box, type a description for the stream.
To define the source and destination for the stream, click the Source/Destination tab.
In the Source area:
- Click File to transfer files and directories.
  In the File box, type the path and file name or directory you want to transfer, or click Browse to locate and select a file.
  Specifying a directory, for example C:\Content, transfers all the files in that directory. Files are transferred to the location specified in the Destination area, unless this destination is overridden by the client.
  You can use wild cards to specify multiple files in a directory, for example C:\Content\*.txt.
  To transfer a directory's subdirectories and their files, click the Include Subdirectories box. Subdirectories will be created below the location you specify in the Destination area. Note that empty subdirectories are never transferred.
- Click URL to transfer a file specified by its URL. In the URL box, type the Internet address of the file to transfer. The file is transferred to the client's Internet Explorer cache.
In the Destination Address area:
- Type the destination IP address in the IP Address box.
- Type the destination port in the Port box.
  For more information on IP addresses and ports, see Setting Multicast Destination IP Address and Port.
Specify the scope of the multicast by selecting a Time to Live option.
- Click Local Network to limit the multicast to the local network node.
- Click Intranet to limit the multicast to your site.
- Click Internet to expand the scope of the multicast to the Internet.
- Click Other to type a custom value. Values can range from 1 through 255.
  For more information on setting the scope of multicasts, see Setting Multicast Scope.
In the Destination area, select a destination for the file transfer:
- Click Directory and type a directory name in the box to transfer the files and directories you have specified to that directory on the client. You can use environment variables to specify a location on the client. By default, files and subdirectories are transferred to the directory specified by the client's %temp% environment variable.
- Click File and type a file name in the box to transfer a file and rename it on the client.
- Click Base URL and type a URL to transfer the files you have specified to the Internet Explorer cache on the client. The URL you specify is used as a prefix for each of the files transferred.
  This option allows you to load the client's cache with files before they are needed. For example, if you are streaming an ASF file that includes URLs of graphics files, you could transfer them to the client before they were needed for display. Because they are already in the cache, the client can display them quickly.
To display the advanced options, click the Advanced tab.
- In the Multicast Adapter Address box, select the address of the network adapter to use for multicasting on your server. If your server has only one adapter, leave default selected. On computers with multiple adapters, you can use this option to multicast separate programs simultaneously by using a different adapter address for each program.
- In the Maximum Bandwidth box, specify the maximum amount of bandwidth that will be used to multicast the file.
  When multicasting to clients connected to the network via modem, values in the range of 10 to 20 Kbps are recommended.
  When multicasting to clients on a typical Ethernet LAN, values below 1,000 Kbps are recommended.
- In the Redundancy box, set the amount of error correction used when multicasting the program.
  Values that you type in the Redundancy box are rounded up to the next possible percentage. The setting for redundancy can range from 0.4 to 100 percent.
  While higher percentages of error correction help to ensure that the client receives the file correctly, higher percentages also increase the time it takes to send the file. For example, sending a file at 100% redundancy doubles the time it takes to send the file.
- To specify a length of time for the stream to run, click the Duration box, and then type the time in the format hh:mm:ss, where h represents hours, m represents minutes, and s represents seconds. When the time is up either the program ends or, if there is another stream following this one, the next stream starts.
- To create a log of the file transfer multicast, click the Logging box, and then type the path and file name for the log file in the File Path box. When the file transfer occurs, a log file containing a list of the files transferred and the destination information for each file is created.
- Click Fully Reliable to enable fully reliable file transfer.
  Fully reliable file transfer allows clients to request the server to resend data that they failed to receive. After receiving a resend request, the server multicasts the requested data to all clients. Using reliable file transfer can increase the network bandwidth that is used by the system.
Click OK.