Chapter 3: Installation and Quick Start

This chapter explains how to install Helix Universal Proxy on Windows and UNIX platforms. It also introduces you to Helix Administrator, the Web-based tool for configuring Helix Universal Proxy. As soon as you start Helix Universal Proxy, it is ready to stream media, and the last section walks you through processes for configuring a client to use your Helix Universal Proxy.

Installing Helix Universal Proxy

To install Helix Universal Proxy, you need a binary installation file and a license file, which enables Helix Universal Proxy features. Although you can install Helix Universal Proxy without the license file, Helix Universal Proxy will not operate until you have obtained a valid license file. License files are delivered by e-mail after you download or purchase Helix Universal Proxy.

Note: If you're installing on UNIX, you have to log in as root to perform a default installation because the default value for the RTSP port is lower than 1024.

To install Helix Universal Proxy:

Launch the binary setup file you downloaded. If you have a Helix Universal Proxy installation CD, open the folder named for the operating system you are using, and execute the setup file.

Read the installation recommendations and press Enter.

Enter the path to the license file you received from RealNetworks, and press Enter. The installation process copies the license file to the License subdirectory under the main Helix Universal Proxy directory. On startup, Helix Universal Proxy reads that copy of the license.

Read the end-user license agreement, signifying your agreement to its terms and conditions by pressing Enter.

Enter a path where you want to install Helix Universal Proxy, or accept the default path on Windows. Examples in this guide assume that you've chosen the default path.

Note: On Windows, the default installation path for Helix Universal Proxy differs from previous versions of RealSystem Proxy. For more information, see "Upgrading in a Different Directory".

Enter a user name and password, and then confirm your password by entering it again. Your user name and password are required to access various Helix Universal Proxy features, such as Helix Administrator. Choose a password that is difficult to guess, and that includes both letters and numbers. The password is case-sensitive.

In the next set of screens, you define ports that Helix Universal Proxy uses for the PNA, RTSP, HTTP, and MMS protocols, as well as the port used by Helix Administrator. RealNetworks recommends accepting the default ports, unless those port values will cause conflicts with other applications. Note the following:

You can change the port settings later, as described in "Defining Communications Ports".

You will need the Admin port number to connect to Helix Administrator from a Web browser. As a security feature, the installer randomly generates this port number. RealNetworks recommends that you accept the default, but you can change the port value if you wish, or you know that the selected value will conflict with another port assignment. In either case, remember the port number, or record it in a secure location.

On Windows, the default installation sets up Helix Universal Proxy as a service. This is optional - you can prevent this by clearing the Run as NT Service box. If you choose, you can later set up Helix Universal Proxy to run as a service, as described in "Configuring Helix Universal Proxy as a Windows Service".

In the final confirmation screen, review and accept the installation information to complete the installation process.

Upgrading in a Different Directory

If you are upgrading, and you install Helix Universal Proxy in a path that differs from that of your previous RealSystem Proxy, move some of your existing files from the previous installation directory to the new directory after the installation. You'll need to do this, for example, if you chose the default installation path on Windows:

C:\Program Files\Real\Helix Proxy

Optionally, you'll need to move files in the Logs directory. If you are using authentication, you'll also need to move the files described in Appendix C.

If you plan to use a configuration file from an earlier version of RealSystem Proxy, you need to edit the configuration information manually to reflect the new installation directory. Look for the variables that list full paths, and change their values accordingly.

Warning! Because editing the configuration file with a text editor can potentially disable Helix Universal Proxy, be sure to read Appendix A before attempting modifications.

Reinstalling Helix Universal Proxy in the Same Directory

Reinstallation is generally not necessary, but if needed, you can reinstall Helix Universal Proxy by repeating the installation procedure described in "Installing Helix Universal Proxy". A reinstallation does not affect proxy cache, but it resets your Helix Universal Proxy configuration values to their defaults. If you tailored your system configuration after the initial installation, the following tips allow you to retain your data and make your reinstallation process smoother:

Back up the configuration file (rmproxy.cfg) to preserve the configuration information. After the reinstallation, replace the file created by the installer with your backup.

Back up any authentication databases (adm_b_db, con_r_db, and so on) that you've revised or added. This step is necessary only if you've added more users and passwords for authentication than those added during installation. Appendix C explains authentication databases.

Note the value of the Admin port (Proxy Setup>Ports). If you bookmarked Helix Administrator in your browser, specify the same Admin port during the reinstallation to keep the bookmark functional.

A reinstallation does not affect cache files, access logs, or error logs. It is therefore not necessary to back up these files before reinstallation. These files reside in the Cache and Logs subdirectories of the main installation directory.

Running Helix Universal Proxy

This section describes how to start and stop Helix Universal Proxy on Windows and Unix. It lists command line options that you can use when starting Helix Universal Proxy manually. Additionally, it explains how to configure Helix Universal Proxy as a Windows service if you did not select that option during installation.

Starting Helix Universal Proxy

When you start Helix Universal Proxy manually, you can select which configuration file you want to use. You can also specify command line options on both Windows and UNIX. As described in "Restarting Helix Universal Proxy", you can use Helix Administrator to restart Helix Universal Proxy following a configuration change.

Starting on Windows

In its default Windows installation, Helix Universal Proxy is set up as service named "Helix Universal Proxy." In this case, Helix Universal Proxy always runs in the background, and you do not need to start it. If you did not install Helix Universal Proxy as a Windows service, you can start it from the Start menu, a desktop icon, or the command line.

Starting Up from the Start Menu

From the Start menu, select Programs>Helix Proxy>Helix Proxy. Helix Universal Proxy loads the default configuration file, rmproxy.cfg.

Starting Up from the Command Line

From the Start menu, open the command prompt. Navigate to the Helix Universal Proxy folder, and enter the following command to start Helix Universal Proxy with its default configuration file. You can use a different configuration file if you wish:

Bin\rmproxy rmproxy.cfg

Starting on UNIX

You can start Helix Universal Proxy as an application or as a background process. The following procedure uses the default configuration file (rmproxy.cfg), but you can specify a different file.

Note: If you performed a default installation of Helix Universal Proxy, the RTSP port is set lower than 1024, requiring the user who starts Helix Universal Proxy to log in as root.

To start Helix Universal Proxy on UNIX:

Start any command shell.

Navigate to the main Helix Universal Proxy installation directory.

Warning! If you do not start Helix Universal Proxy from its Bin directory, it cannot understand the relative paths in the configuration file.

Choose one of the following options:

Start Helix Universal Proxy in the background with the following command:

Bin/rmproxy rmproxy.cfg &

Start Helix Universal Proxy as an application:

Bin/rmproxy rmproxy.cfg

Optionally, you can limit the amount of memory that Helix Universal Proxy uses by including the -m parameter, where the number after -m specifies the amount of memory in Megabytes (must be greater than 32). The following example starts Helix Universal Proxy as an application:

Bin/rmproxy rmproxy.cfg -m 512

The next example starts Helix Universal Proxy as a background process:

Bin/rmproxy rmproxy.cfg -m 512 &

Note: If the Helix Universal Proxy machine is dedicated to running Helix Universal Proxy, RealNetworks recommends that you allocate 75% of the available system memory for Helix Universal Proxy's use.

Process ID (PID)

Helix Universal Proxy creates a text file that records the current value of the process ID of the parent Helix Universal Proxy process, rmproxy. The file is stored in the directory indicated by the PidPath variable, and is named rmproxy.pid at installation. If PidPath is omitted from the configuration file, Helix Universal Proxy stores the information in the directory specified by the LogPath variable.

Using Command Line Options

On both Windows and UNIX, you can include options when starting Helix Universal Proxy from the command line. You list options after the rmproxy executable name, preceding each option with one or two hyphens as shown here:

Bin/rmproxy --rss 60 rmproxy.cfg

Command line options have both short names and long names, as summarized in the following table. Additional, Windows-only command line options are described in "Configuring Helix Universal Proxy as a Windows Service".

Command Line Options on Windows and UNIX
Short Name	Long Name	Function
`-v`	`--version`	Print version number and exit.
`-h`	`--help`	Print command line help and exit.
`--out <file>`	`--output-file <file>`	Redirect console output to file.
`--rss [n]`	`--report-server-stats [n]`	Report server statistics every `n` seconds. The default is 60 seconds.

Stopping Helix Universal Proxy

It's generally not necessary to stop Helix Universal Proxy when it's running. If you make configuration changes that require a restart, you can restart through Helix Administrator, as described in "Restarting Helix Universal Proxy".

Shutting Down on Windows

If Helix Universal Proxy was started as a Windows service, stop it through the Services control panel. Give the Start>Settings>Control Panel>Administrative Tools command and double-click Services. Locate Helix Universal Proxy on the list (your service name may be different), highlight it, and click Stop.

If you started Helix Universal Proxy manually, switch to the command window and press Ctrl+c. You can also use the Task Manager (Ctrl+Shift+Esc) to end the Helix Universal Proxy task.

Shutting Down on UNIX

To stop Helix Universal Proxy on UNIX, obtain the parent process identification number, and then issue the kill command with that process number. The process ID is stored in the rmproxy.pid file, which is usually kept in the Logs directory. (The PIDPath variable in the configuration file specifies this location.) You can perform both actions with one command. From the command line, navigate to the directory that contains the Helix Universal Proxy PID file, and type the following, where pidfile is the name of the PID file:

kill `cat pidfile`

Configuring Helix Universal Proxy as a Windows Service

If you did not set up Helix Universal Proxy to run as a Windows service during installation, you can do so at any time by following the procedure below on a Windows NT, or Windows 2000 machine.

To set up Helix Universal Proxy as a service:

Stop Helix Universal Proxy.

From the Start menu, open the command prompt and navigate to the Helix Universal Proxy Bin directory.

Import the configuration file you want to use into a specific key in the Windows NT registry by typing the following:

rmproxy.exe -import[:key] configuration_file

using the following values:


`key`	The Windows NT registry key name you want to use. If you omit it, the default name `Config` is substituted.
`configuration_file`	The path and file name of the configuration file to import. The configuration file must use absolute paths for variables such as BasePath. Helix Universal Proxy does not recognize relative paths while running as a service.

For example, the following command:

rmproxy.exe -import:Proxy1 ..\rmproxy.cfg

imports all of the values in the rmproxy.cfg file into the following key of the Windows registry:

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Software\RealNetworks\Helix Proxy\9.0\Proxy1

Note that you can then start Helix Universal Proxy using this configuration by typing the following at a command line:

rmproxy.exe registry:Proxy1

Install the service by typing the following command at the command prompt:

rmproxy.exe -install[:ServiceName] "parameters"

using the following variables:


`ServiceName`	The name that will appear in the Services dialog box. If you omit `ServiceName`, `Helix Universal Proxy` is used.
`parameters`	Either the name of the configuration file, or the Windows registry and key name, as entered in Step 3. The format of the Windows NT registry and key name is registry:key. Any command line parameters can be used.

Note: The quotation marks surrounding parameters are required. In addition, you must supply the path to the configuration file. Helix Universal Proxy may not start if it cannot find the configuration file.

The next time you start Helix Universal Proxy from the Services dialog, it will use the settings specified in parameters, and will be configured to start automatically. For example, the following command:

rmproxy.exe -install:RMLocal "registry:Proxy1"

installs Helix Universal Proxy with the service name RMLocal, and uses the settings in the Proxy1 key.

Start the service. In the Services control panel, select the name you used for ServiceName, and click Start.

Removing Helix Universal Proxy from the Services List

At a command prompt, type the following:

rmproxy.exe -remove[:ServiceName]

in which ServiceName is the optional name of the service. If you omitted a service name when you installed the service, you can omit it here, and Helix Universal Proxy will use Helix Proxy.

Running Multiple Helix Universal Proxys on One Windows NT System

You can have configuration files with different names for different configurations of a single Helix Universal Proxy, or use different names for different Helix Universal Proxy installations.

You can load configuration files into separate registry keys. Then, run Helix Universal Proxy as a service, one for each configuration file you loaded.

To import a configuration file into a specific key in the registry:

Follow the instructions in Step 3 of "Configuring Helix Universal Proxy as a Windows Service".

Start Helix Universal Proxy by typing the following:

rmproxy.exe registry:key

where:

key is name you want to use for the configuration. Helix Universal Proxy places the configuration information in HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Software\RealNetworks\Helix Proxy\Key.

In the example from Step 3 of "Configuring Helix Universal Proxy as a Windows Service", in which the configuration settings are loaded into the "Proxy1" key, the full key name would be HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Software\RealNetworks\Helix Proxy\9.0\Proxy1.

Using Helix Administrator

Helix Administrator is Helix Universal Proxy's HTML-based interface. It allows you to modify and manage Helix Universal Proxy from anywhere on your network using a Web browser.

Tip: In this guide, "Helix Administrator" with an uppercase "A" refers to this HTML-based tool, whereas "RealNetworks administrator" with a lowercase "a" refers to the person who configures and runs Helix Universal Proxy.

Starting Helix Administrator

To start Helix Administrator, you need to know the port number it uses, as well as the user name and password selected during Helix Universal Proxy installation. The password selected during installation is stored in the MonitorPassword variable of the configuration file. For background on the configuration file, see Appendix A.

To start Helix Administrator:

Start Helix Universal Proxy. (See the section "Starting Helix Universal Proxy" for instructions).

Click the browser shortcut created by the Helix Universal Proxy installer, or use the following instructions:

In a browser, use the following syntax:

http://proxy.example.com:AdminPort/admin/index.html

where:

proxy is the name of the machine on which Helix Universal Proxy is installed.

example.com is the name of the domain in which Helix Universal Proxy exists.

Optionally, rather than typing the name and domain of the system on which Helix Universal Proxy is installed, you can use the IP address.

AdminPort is the port which Helix Administrator uses to connect to Helix Universal Proxy. You are asked for a port number during setup. Use that port number here.

If your browser is on the same computer as Helix Universal Proxy, you can typically use the localhost address (be sure to substitute your port number for AdminPort):

http://localhost:AdminPort/admin/index.html

The following command also works on the same computer:

http://127.0.0.1:AdminPort/admin/index.html

Enter the user name and password chosen during installation. The password is case-sensitive.

Click OK to start Helix Administrator.

Tip: You can create additional user names and passwords to let other people access Helix Administrator. For more information, see "Authenticating Helix Administrator Users".

Navigating the Interface

Helix Administrator consists of HTML pages you use to configure Helix Universal Proxy. The left frame groups features into functional areas, as described below. Pages that display in the right pane typically consist of forms that include fields and pull-down lists. In pages that define multiple elements, you can use the control icons shown in the following illustration.

Helix Administrator Controls

Tip: If you are familiar with previous versions of RealSystem Administrator, note that you no longer have to click an Edit button to update an element definition. You simply enter the element information in the fields, and click Apply at the bottom of the page when you are finished.

Helix Administrator Sections

Helix Administrator's left-hand navigation pane groups Helix Universal Proxy features under functional areas such as Security. Click the name of a functional area to expand or collapse the list of features it contains. The following tables summarize all features, and point you to the sections of this guide that explain each feature.

Proxy Setup

The proxy setup features let you configure the basic functions of Helix Universal Proxy. Many of these features are preconfigured at installation.

Proxy Setup Features
Feature	Function	Reference
Ports	Define ports for communications protocols.	click here
IP Binding	Select IP addresses Helix Universal Proxy uses.	click here
Bandwidth Management	Limit the amount of bandwidth Helix Universal Proxy uses.	click here
Proxy Routing	Setup proxy chains to other Helix Universal Proxys.	click here
Redundant Proxies	Define failover proxies for streaming delivery.	click here
Cache	Set limits to caching of on-demand content, and rename the cache directory.	click here
Splitting	Modify the protocol to use with pull splitting and whether to allow packet resends.	click here
Multicasting	Configure back-channel multicasting.	click here

Security

The security features let you limit connections to Helix Universal Proxy, by client IP address, or by user name and password..

Security Features
Feature	Function	Reference
Access Control	Limit media player connections by IP address.	click here
User Databases	Select authentication databases.	click here
Realms	Create authentication realms.	click here
Authentication	Enable authentication and choose no-authenticate sites.	click here

Logging and Monitoring

The logging and monitoring features let you view current Helix Universal Proxy activity, as well as review past, recorded activity.

Logging and Monitoring Features
Feature	Function	Reference
Proxy Monitor	Display statuses of current connections.	click here
Access and Error Logging	Compile user and error statistics.	click here
Custom Logging	Create templates for reports.	click here

Restarting Helix Universal Proxy

Some configuration changes you make to Helix Universal Proxy require a restart, which breaks open connections for live events or clips streamed on demand. It's best, therefore, to make these changes during periods of low use. The Helix Administrator interface indicates feature changes that require a Helix Universal Proxy restart. It also prompts you when a change requires a proxy restart when you click Apply. Click the Restart Server button to restart Helix Universal Proxy.

Queuing Changes for a Later Restart

It is not necessary to restart Helix Universal Proxy immediately after you make a configuration change. In this case, the Pending Changes flag appears in the upper-right corner of Helix Administrator. This flag reminds you that all pending changes will go into effect the next time Helix Universal Proxy is started.

Importing Manual Changes on UNIX

If you change the Helix Universal Proxy file manually on a UNIX computer, you can use SIGHUP to upload the changes to Helix Universal Proxy without breaking any open connections, as long as the changes do not require a full server restart. To have Helix Universal Proxy re-read the configuration file, use the following SIGHUP command:

kill -HUP processID

in which processID is the Helix Universal Proxy process number, as shown in the Logs/rmproxy.pid file. For more on this, see "Process ID (PID)".

Tip: Helix Administrator indicates when changes require a full restart. Use it as your guide to changes that you can and cannot upload with SIGHUP.

For More Information: For more on configuration files, see Appendix A.

License File Information

The text-based license file resides in the License subdirectory of Helix Universal Proxy's installation directory. It is in an XML format that you can read with any text editor. Making any changes invalidates the file, however. You can also display the license file through Helix Administrator by clicking About. You generally do not need to do anything with the license file, as long as Helix Universal Proxy reads it correctly on startup.

Tip: If you have multiple license files, Helix Administrator shows the values for all of them at once. In this case, you need to read each file individually and calculate additive features, such as the total number of licensed streams.

If all license files are invalid, Helix Universal Proxy will report an error message, add the error to the error log file, and shut down. To resolve this, contact RealNetworks for a valid license file.

Quick Start for Helix Universal Proxy

In this section, you'll use RealOne Player to first play content directly from a Helix Universal Server, and then you'll configure and use RealOne Player to go through Helix Universal Proxy to get the same content.

Before you begin, you'll need the following software on your system:

Helix Universal Proxy

RealOne Player (available for free download from http://www.real.com).

A Web browser

You can install the software on different computers, but the computer on which RealOne Player is running needs a sound card and speakers (so that you can see and hear that all the software is working).

The steps for getting started are:

Step 1: Use RealOne Player to Play Content from a Helix Universal Server

Step 2: Start Helix Universal Proxy

Step 3: Monitor Helix Universal Proxy Activity

Step 4: Configure RealOne Player To Use Your Helix Universal Proxy

Step 5: Play Content Again

Step 6: Monitor Helix Universal Proxy Again

Step 1: Use RealOne Player to Play Content from a Helix Universal Server

Using RealOne Player, test your network connection by playing sample content from a Helix Universal Server. You can use any of the following as sources for the test material:

any channel listed in RealOne Player's Channel page

clips streamed from your own Helix Universal Server

sample content included in the free Helix Universal Server Basic (downloadable from http://www.realnetworks.com)

Make a note of which clips you played; you'll use this again later, to test Helix Universal Proxy in " Step 5: Play Content Again".

Step 2: Start Helix Universal Proxy

Common methods for starting Helix Universal Proxy are listed below.

There are also other options for startup, and more details, described in "Starting Helix Universal Proxy".

Windows NT Operating System

When you install Helix Universal Proxy on Windows NT or Windows 2000, by default it installs itself as a service, and runs automatically. If it isn't running, from the Start menu, select Programs>Helix Proxy>Helix Proxy. This starts the rmproxy.exe program with the default configuration file, rmproxy.cfg.

UNIX-Based Operating Systems

Navigate to the Helix Universal Proxy main installation directory and type the following:

Bin/rmproxy rmproxy.cfg

Step 3: Monitor Helix Universal Proxy Activity

Start Helix Administrator, and use the Proxy Monitor to see that Helix Universal Proxy isn't in use.

Tip: If you are using Helix Universal Proxy on Windows NT or Windows 2000, you can double-click the Helix Administrator icon on your desktop and skip the steps below.

To start Helix Administrator:

Start a Web browser from anywhere on your network.

In the browser's address or location box, type the following URL, substituting your values for address and AdminPort:

http://address:AdminPort/admin/index.html

The setup program generates a random value for AdminPort if you did not supply one.

You are prompted for your user name and password. Use the same user name and password you created during installation.

Click OK. Helix Administrator starts.

In the left-hand frame, click Logging & Monitoring, then click Proxy Monitor.

The monitor page appears in the right-hand frame. Notice that all the numbers in the columns show a value of zero.

Step 4: Configure RealOne Player To Use Your Helix Universal Proxy

Helix Universal Proxy generally doesn't tell clients to contact it; you must explicitly configure clients to use Helix Universal Proxy.

Note: Alternately, you can set up your firewall to intercept requests for streaming media with a device such as a layer-4 switch. In this case, Helix Universal Proxy can intercept client requests without any client configuration.

For this quick start, use the steps below to configure your RealOne Player to use Helix Universal Proxy.

To configure RealOne Player:

In RealOne Player, select Tools>Preferences.

Open the Connection category and select Proxy.

Select the PNA proxy checkbox and type the IP address or host name of your Helix Universal Proxy computer in the box next to it.

In the Port box, type 1090, the default PNA listening port.

Select the RTSP proxy checkbox and type the IP address or host name of your Helix Universal Proxy computer in the box next to it.

In the Port box, type 554, the default RTSP listening port.

Click OK.

Step 5: Play Content Again

Now that RealOne Player is configured to always contact Helix Universal Proxy, use RealOne Player to play the same content you used in Step 1.

Step 6: Monitor Helix Universal Proxy Again

Look at the Proxy Monitor in Helix Administrator. The numbers are different, demonstrating that your RealOne Player is now sending its requests to Helix Universal Proxy, rather than directly to the Helix Universal Server.