How to install the Streaming Media Services role on a full installation of
Windows Server 2008 R2
Note The Streaming Media Services role includes Windows Media Services 2008.
1. If the following conditions are true, follow the lettered steps below:
o You are running the Microsoft Windows 2000 Server or the Microsoft Windows
NT Server 4.0 operating systems.
o The server is running Windows Media Services 4.1.
o You are updating the server to Windows Server 2008 R2.
a. Update the server to Windows Server 2003.
Note Before you update the server to Windows Server 2003, back up
all the necessary Windows Media Services files. For more information
about how to copy these files, see the table in the "Files that you
should copy" subsection of the "More information" section.
b. Update the server to Windows Server 2008 R2. For more information
about installing Windows Server 2008 R2, visit the following Microsoft
Web site:
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2008/en/us/R2.aspx
2. If you are upgrading from an earlier prerelease version of Windows Server 2008 R2, or
from Windows Server 2008, or from Windows Server 2003, you must select the Full
Installation option when you install Windows Server 2008 R2. Do not select the Server
Core installation option.
Note Custom authentication credentials (user name and password) for the WMS
Network Data Source plug-in, the WMS Anonymous User Authentication plug-in, and
the Specify distribution credentials property in Windows Media Services are not
preserved during the upgrade. You must manually re-enter these values after Windows
Media Services 2008 R2 is installed on the updated operating system. For more
information, visit the following Web site to view the Windows Media Services 2008
Upgrade and Migration Guide:
http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=188126
3. Download and then run the MSU file for the Streaming Media Services role. To do this,
follow these steps:
a. Visit the following Microsoft Web site:
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=b2cdb043-d611-
41c9-91b7-cddf6e5fdf6b
b. Download and run the Windows6.1-KB963697-x64.msu file.
4. Start Server Manager. To do this, click Start, point to Administrative Tools, and then
click Server Manager.
5. On the Action menu in Server Manager, click Refresh, and then wait for the update to
finish.
Note You can check the update status on the lower-left side of the status bar in Server
Manager.
6. Restart Server Manager.
7. In Server Manager, add the Streaming Media Services role. To do this, click Add Roles
under Roles Summary, and then click Streaming Media Services in the Add Roles
wizard.
8. If you are updating a server that is running Windows Media Services to Windows
Server 2008 R2, you must copy the Windows Media Services files and settings that you
backed up in step 1 to the new Windows Server platform. To do this, follow these
steps:
. Stop the Windows Media Services service. To do this, type the following command at a
command prompt:
net stop wmserver
a. Copy the backed-up ServerNamespace.xml file over the newly installed
version of this file. By default, this file is in the following folder:
%windir%\System32\Windows media\Server
b. Restart the Windows Media Services service. To do this, type the following
command at a command prompt:
net start wmserver
Full installation option notes
• To remove the Streaming Media Services role from active use, follow these steps:
1. Under Roles Summary in Server Manager, click Remove Roles.
2. In the Remove Roles wizard, clear the Streaming Media Services check box.
• To remove the Streaming Media Services role from the Roles list in Server Manager
and to completely uninstall the Streaming Media Services role, follow these steps:
1. Under Roles Summary in Server Manager, click Remove Roles.
2. In the Remove Roles wizard, clear the Streaming Media Services check box.
3. In Programs and Features in Control Panel, click View installed updates.
4. Click Streaming Media Services update (KB963697) under Uninstall an
update, and then click Uninstall.
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How to install the Streaming Media Services role on a Server Core
installation of Windows Server 2008 R2
Note The Streaming Media Services role includes Windows Media Services 2008.
1. Install the Server Core installation option of Windows Server 2008 R2. For more
information, visit the following Microsoft Web site:
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2008/en/us/R2.aspx
2. Install the Streaming Media Services role. To do this, follow these steps:
a. Visit the following Microsoft Web site:
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=b2cdb043-d611-
41c9-91b7-cddf6e5fdf6b
b. Download the Windows6.1-KB963697-x64.msu file.
c. Run the MSU file for the Streaming Media Services role. To do this, type the
following command at a command prompt:
start /w wusa /quiet Windows6.1-KB963697-x64.msu
d. To install the Streaming Media Services role, type the following string at a
command prompt:
start /w ocsetup MediaServer
e. To start the Windows Media Services service, type the following string at a
command prompt:
net start wmserver
Note After you complete the installation, you must configure the Streaming Media Services role
from a remote computer by using the Windows Media Services snap-in for Microsoft Management
Console (MMC). You can install the snap-in on another computer that is running a full installation
of Windows Server 2008 R2. Or, you can install Remote Server Administration Tools for the
Streaming Media Services role on computers that are running Windows 7 Ultimate, Windows 7
Enterprise, or Windows 7 Professional.
For more information about the Remote Server Administration Tools for the Streaming Media
Services role, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge
Base:
970985 How to install Windows Media Services Remote Server Administration Tools for Windows
Server 2008 R2
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STATUS
This behavior is by design.
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MORE INFORMATION
Operating system availability
The Streaming Media Services role can be installed only on Full and Server Core installations of
Windows Server 2008 R2. For more information about how to obtain the Windows Server 2008 R2
operating system, visit the following Microsoft Web site:
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2008/en/us/R2.aspx
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Supported migration scenarios
Windows Media Services for Windows Server 2008 R2 supports automated migration of digital
media files and settings if you are running Windows Media Services 9 Series on Windows Server
2003 or Windows Media Services 2008 on Windows Server 2008. However, if you are running
Windows Media Services 4.1 on Windows 2000 Server or on Windows NT Server 4.0, you must
first update the Windows Media server to Windows Server 2003 and then update the server to
Windows Server 2008 R2. Updating from these earlier platforms directly to Windows Server 2008
R2 is not supported.
Before you update to Windows Server 2003, you must back up necessary Windows Media Services
files. For more information about how to copy these files, see the table in the "Files that you
should copy" section.
Note Automated migration of custom authentication credentials (user name and password) for the
WMS Network Data Source plug-in, the WMS Anonymous User Authentication plug-in, and the
Specify distribution credentials property in Windows Media Services is not supported. For more
information about migrating these settings, see the Windows Media Services 2008 Upgrade and
Migration Guide:
http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=188126
Files that you should copy
The following table lists the files that you should copy together with their descriptions and their
default locations on the Windows Media server.
File Description Default path
ServerNamespace.xml The Windows Media Services %windir%\System32\windows
namespace file stores the configuration media\server
settings for the Windows Media server.
Content sources File system content sources include %systemdrive%\WMPub
playlist files, digital media files such as
Windows Media Audio (WMA) and
Windows Media Video (WMV) files, and
archived broadcasts.
Log files Log files store data about the clients %windir%\System32\LogFiles
that receive your content.
Notes
• You should also back up third-party plug-ins and applications that Windows Media
Services uses.
• The copying of log files is optional.
Remote Server Administration Tools
The Remote Server Administration Tools feature in Server Manager provides role administration
tools that let administrators remotely manage servers that are running Windows Server 2008 R2.
The Streaming Media Services role is not supported by this feature. However, you can install
Remote Server Administration Tools for the Streaming Media Services role on a computer that is
running Windows 7 Ultimate, Windows 7 Enterprise, or Windows 7 Professional.
For more information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft
Knowledge Base:
970985 How to install Windows Media Services Remote Server Administration Tools for Windows
Server 2008 R2
Note You can also administer a server remotely from a separate Windows Media server that is
running the full installation option of Windows Server 2008 R2.
