Re: Almost able to broadcast

On Sun, 30 Oct 2005 14:44:39 -0000, "Mac" <mac@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

>Thanks for the reply Neil - still on a steep learning curve with this stuff.
>
>Yes, my IP address changes with each ISP-reconnect
> (AOL broadband in UK),

^^^ Oh, Dear ! Sorry, never miss an opportunity to knock AOL ;-)

>only usually done after a reboot - but that is not the issue - I think - as
>during my testing the connection remained constant and uninterrupted.
>
>I don't have a router, NAT or other hardware in the loop - just an XP Home
>SP2 PC hooked up to a ADSL modem (1Mb/s connection, in theory)

OK - just to clarify FYI, the 1Mbps is your ~download~ speed.

You can expect your ~upload~ speed (from you to the listeners) to be
far lower than that, often as low as 128kbps.

The broadcast bitrate is additive : so this would be enough for 4
streams of 32kbps audio with nothing else happening on your PC (web
browsing, etc). Add a webcam to the audio mix and you can expect to
broadcast to maybe, 1-2 other users ;-(

>That's VERY interesting, and maybe the basis of my problems? Will need to
>find my real IP.

In the case you stated above, your IP address *should* be the real one
and available on the internet. If it looks like one of : 192.168.x.x,
10.x.x.x, 172.16.x.x the it's a Private IP Address and not available
outside your AOL provider's network

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Private_IP_address

Having a private IP address is generally a *bad thing* if you're
paying for a internet service. If that's the case, AOL may well have
set you up where your IP isn't actually available on the public
internet - they're quite likely to be providing you with a
browse/email/MSN etc capability only.

When you run WM Encoder in the manner you're trying, you are actually
running a "Server". Their T&C's might prohibit hosting of services
like that, and they could potentially have their network set up to
actively prevent this sort of service. You'd have to check what you
signed up for to be sure though.

> I assume the port selected will be unchanged (BTW any ideas
>about why the WME Live Broadcast wizard offers to find a free port each
>time?

It just tries to find a random port. Consider it a "tap" which can be
open or closed. If you have the port (tap) connected to a hosepipe to
water the garden, you can't also use that tap to wash the dishes, say.

In the case of "Ports", they are assigned from a block of 65000+/-
available port numbers per computer. Only one thing can be running on
any one port, so trying random port numbers is a way to avoid any
clashes with stuff already assigned to and listening on other ports.

A web server might offer its services on port 80 for example, so you
wouldn't want to use that otherwise you'd get a reply from WM Encoder
when somebody asked it for a web page !

> I haven't tried just using the previous port and don't understand the
>significance of the "port") - As I said it's a bit of a steep learning
>curve.
>
>Re ZA - I guess you are right on that score, but it won't harm to shut it
>and other stuff down during my testing phase, until I figure out the basics
>and then I can turn the other stuff back on.

Actually, it can, and I'd advise leaving ZA running.

AOL IP address blocks get high levels of scanning activity, which can
leave your computer vulnerable to attack and being owned, if you have
no firewall. The blocks of IP addresses owned by AOL, freeserve,
telewest etc are all well known and scanned regularly (my router is
currently being probed about 30-80 times per hour).

AOL users are scanned especially often because they have a higher than
usual proportion of computer 'newbies' who might be expected to be
good targets for virus / trojan / rootkit attacks.

HTH
Cheers - Neil
.

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