Common Questions about Macromedia Flash Communication Server
What is the Macromedia Flash Communication Server ?
Macromedia Flash Communication Server is a complete solution for creating and deploying rich communication features in websites and Internet applications. The product includes a professional set of application creation and debugging tools that are integrated into Macromedia Flash MX, and powerful server software that allows you to create communication features that are accessible by the widely distributed Macromedia Flash Player.
What are the benefits of the new technology?
You can integrate rich communication into your existing Macromedia Flash applications, creating communication solutions that would be difficult or impossible to achieve otherwise. We've brought many previously separate capabilities: streaming media, rich media messaging, and real-time collaboration into a single platform, and made it possible to deliver them through a single, lightweight, ubiquitous player.
What can I do now that I couldn't do before?
You can deliver a real-time communications application that can also include audio and video;to anyone who has Macromedia Flash Player 6 and visits your website.
When would I use real-time data in my applications?
If you're building rich applications that would benefit from two-way communication, you'll want to use the Flash Communication Server. It's ideal for creating live customer service applications, one-to-many synchronous e-learning solutions, internal web meeting and instant messaging systems and can even store and forward video communications.
Will I have to buy a new development tool to author for the Macromedia Flash communication technology?
To develop for this technology, you'll only need Macromedia Flash MX and its familiar authoring methods to develop rich communications applications. Creating additional functionality and logic will be possible using external script files, best developed in robust scripting tools like Macromedia Dreamweaver MX.
Will I need to buy Macromedia ColdFusion or JRun to use the Macromedia Flash communication technology?
No, the Macromedia Flash Communication Server operates as a stand-alone server, but can integrate with Macromedia ColdFusion, JRun, and other web applications in order to provide additional functionality.
Which operating systems are supported?
Macromedia Flash Communication Server server software runs on Windows XP, 2000, and NT and Red Hat Linux version 7.3 and 8.0. Since the authoring components for creating rich communications applications are integrated with Macromedia Flash MX, authoring can happen on all systems supported by Macromedia Flash MX. Since playback occurs through the Macromedia Flash Player 6, all operating systems, browsers, and devices that support this version of the player will support rich communications applications. Review the System Requirements for more information.
Can I download a copy of the Macromedia Flash Communication Server trial edition?
Yes, a new FREE Developer Edition provides Flash developers with a version of Macromedia Flash Communication Server that they can use to learn the product and develop applications with.
Is Macromedia Flash Communication Server secure?
Security, especially communications security, is taken very seriously at Macromedia.
What is HTTP Tunneling?
The HTTP Tunneling feature is designed to get through firewalls and proxies so Flash Communication Server traffic is available to everyone.
Why doesn't my local camera feed work?
Macromedia Flash MX and Macromedia Flash Player 6 cannot access the same camera at the same time. If you are testing a movie in Flash MX that uses your camera, you cannot view that camera feed in the Flash Player running in a browser window at the same time. For a full explanation of this issue, see Problems displaying local camera feed (TechNote 16440).
How is the video captured?
Video is captured by the Macromedia Flash Player. The Flash Player can acquire video from anything that has a WDM Video Capture Driver. This includes almost all web cameras, DV cameras and video capture boards. It even includes screen grab utilities like "Camtasia". In fact, the Flash Player can even acquire from multiple video sources at the same time. For streaming video from your DVD player, all that is required is a video capture board that has a WDM Video Capture Driver.
Is there a front end for the video?
Macromedia Flash Player 6 is the front end for the video capture.
Is there a special video capture card or devices required?
The capture card just needs to have a WDM Video Capture Driver. This is simple to test: open the camera settings dialog in the Flash Player on the system in question and see if the card appears in the list of video sources. To open this dialog, make sure you have Macromedia Flash Player 6, right-click while viewing some kind of Flash content, select Settings, then click the camera icon.
What video format(s) are supported?
Macromedia Flash Communication Server records and plays back video in the FLV format (Flash Video). You can convert other video file formats to FLV using Flash MX or Sorenson's Squeeze. Squeeze can be configured to batch process files of other formats. MP3 streaming feature is supported in Flash Communication Server version 1.5. This feature provides a fantastic solution for customers looking for flexible methods of streaming audio and music without having to have the client download the MP3 files.
How is a video streamed and archived?
Video and audio are streamed to and from the Macromedia Flash Communication Server through the RTMP protocol (Real-Time Messaging Protocol). This is a proprietary TCP/IP based protocol that we created. The Client-side and Server-side SharedObject objects are features of the Macromedia Flash Communication Server that allow for streaming data and streaming audio and video. SharedObject objects can be stored persistently on the server.
Can video be streamed at multiple bandwidths?
Yes. The video, audio, and data sent and received by Macromedia Flash Communication Server can be streamed at multiple bandwidth settings. There is a flexible Client-Side Communication ActionScript API that allows for Camera and Microphone objects to be configured in such a way as to match bandwidth settings. The Server-Side Communication ActionScript API allows one to set the bandwidth limit for each client connected to the server thus maximizing the experience for each connected user. Media (FLV's) should also be encoded in such a way as to accommodate for different client bandwidths. For example, for streaming a pre-recorded FLV file to many clients, there should probably be two different versions, a low bandwidth FLV and a high bandwidth FLV.
Can I capture video and audio from my DV camera at the same time?
Due to limitations surrounding the different capture API's we use, it is not possible to capture audio and video from a DV camera on Windows. For more information, please read Simultaneous video and audio capture from Digital Video camera fails on Windows (TechNote 16434).
Why is sound still transmitted when the microphone is muted?
On Windows, it is important to know the different places within the Sound control panel where settings can be adjusted. Please read Why is sound still transmitted when the microphone is muted? (TechNote 16435).
Can I simultaneously transmit a camera or microphone feed at multiple quality settings?
No, the quality settings are defined for a specific camera or microphone source, so it is not possible to transmit simultaneous streams with different quality settings. For a complete explanation of this issue please see Problems using multiple settings for one capture source (TechNote 16457).
Why can't I connect to my Macromedia Flash Communication Server?
Verify that the Macromedia Flash Communication Server is running. On Windows, you can check the Services control panel for this and on Red Hat Linux, you can check for the Macromedia Flash Communication Server's process as well as the Flash Communication Admin Service.There could also be connectivity issues associated with firewalls that block outgoing TCP/IP connections on port 1935.For further information, see the Flash Communication Server port connectivity survey (TechNote 16466) and NetConnection sections in Troubleshooting communications applications (TechNote 16450).
Why can't Flash clients see or hear any of the streaming media in my SWF files?
Make sure the Macromedia Flash Communication Server is running. On Windows, you can check the Services control panel for this and on Red Hat Linux, you can check for the Macromedia Flash Communication Server's process as well as the Flash Communication Admin Service.There could also be connectivity issues associated with firewalls that block outgoing TCP/IP connections on port 1935.For further information, please see the Flash Communication Server port connectivity survey (TechNote 16466) and the NetConnection sections in Troubleshooting communications applications (TechNote 16450).
How do I uninstall Macromedia Flash Communication Server?
If you are experiencing problems removing the product from your system, please see Uninstalling the Macromedia Flash Communication Server (TechNote 16468).
Will my camera work with the Macromedia Flash Player?
Please see the Camera compatibility matrix (TechNote 16453).
Why are there "ghost" users still connected to my video conferencing application?
It is important to close any NetStreams when a client disconnects from an application. Use the NetStream.close() method to close any streams before deleting or removing the movie clips that contain them. Sometimes a client can also be suddenly disconnected if for example, their network cable becomes unplugged.
Can I rename my main.asc file?
The main ActionScript Communications file for a Flash Communication Application does not have to be called main.asc. It can also be appName.asc, where appName is the exact name of your application. This should also be within a folder which shares the exact name of the application. Please see Server-side ActionScript Naming and Search Path (TechNote 16518) for a detailed explanation.
How many concurrent users can Macromedia Flash Communication Server support?
The maximum number of concurrent users allowed by the Macromedia Flash Communication Server is dependent on the version of the product you have and how many capacity packs are installed. We offer the Developer Edition, Personal Edition and the Professional Edition.Read more about the concurrent user capacity of each version, and the difference between these versions.
Why am I running out of connections so quickly?
If your applications are connecting to each other through Server-Side NetConnections, these connections count against your maximum number of simultaneous client connections permitted for the edition of Macromedia Flash Communication Server you are using.Connections to the Admin server do not count against the total number of concurrent connections and the Admin API can be used to collect information about applications and application instances running on the server as well as the clients connected to them. Additionally, 90 Day Unlimited Capacity Packs can be added to support customers who need to permit very high peak capacity for short term events.
How does the server check for bandwidth consumption?
The Macromedia Flash Communication Server checks every 5 minutes to see what the average bandwidth consumption was for the last 5 minutes. If this consumption is greater than that allowed by the current license, then no more client connections are allowed until the average bandwidth in the 5 minute window returns to a level at or below the bandwidth usage permitted by the current license.
This content requires Flash
To view this content, JavaScript must be enabled, and you need the latest version of the Adobe Flash Player.
Download the free Flash Player now!
