Microsoft Media Services

Microsoft's streaming server Microsoft Media Services (previously called NetShow Services) uses the Microsoft Media Server (MMS) protocol to transfer unicast data. MMS can be transported via UDP or TCP. The MMS default port is UDP/TCP 1755. Microsoft deprecated MMS in favor of RTSP in 2003 with the release of the Windows Media Services 9 Series, but continued to support the MMS for some time in the interest of backwards compatibility. Support for the protocol was finally dropped in Windows Media Player 11 and Windows Media Services 2008^[1]. Note however that Microsoft still recommends^[2] using "mms://" as a "protocol rollover^[3] URL". As part of protocol rollover a Windows Media Player 11 client opening an "mms://" URL will attempt to connect first with RTSP over UDP and if that fails it will attempt RTSP over TCP. Earlier Windows Media Player clients as well as version 11 after having failed RTSP will attempt MMS over UDP, then MMS over TCP. If MMS fails a modified version of a HTTP over TCP connection will be attempted.

See also

• Windows Media Services
• Streaming Download Project
• Windows Media Station

External links

• Microsoft Media Services 9 Firewall Information
• Software that plays MMS content or allows capture to a harddisk such as MPlayer, VLC and MiMMS
• Streaming Download Project (SDP) – a free, but closed-source, implementation of the MMS protocol; reverse-engineered protocol documentation also freely available. It lets you download the videos available only for streaming forcing the use of TCP protocol (this can not be done with Windows Media Player).
• libmms A free, open source implementation of the MMS protocol.

References

1. ^ Microsoft's Windows Media Networking Protocols Porting Kit
2. ^ Microsoft's Windows Media Networking Protocols Porting Kit
3. ^ Microsoft's Windows Media Format 11 SDK Protocol Rollover