PS: Part 2 of this article can be found here.
What is Darwin Streaming Server?
Darwin Streaming Server is an open source, free to use streaming server from Apple. The commercial version of this server is the Quick Time Streaming Server.
Where do I get it from?
The Darwin streaming server source code can be downloaded here. You need an Apple ID for this. Registration is free – go get an Apple ID for yourself.
How do I install?
Once you download the source code, you will see a install.bat in the root directory. Just double click on it and the batch file will copy the necessary files under C:\Program Files\Darwin Streaming Server. This is all the installation required.
How do I start streaming?
Along with the source code, Apple ships a few sample video clips which are ready to be streamed. All these video clips are under the C:\Program Files\Darwin Streaming Server\Movies folder. You can stream any of these video clips and view it on a player. Open up a command prompt. Go to C:\Program Files\Darwin Streaming Server and start Darwin server by typing DarwinStreamingServer.exe -d. If all is fine, you will get some INFO messages and a message that says ‘Streaming Server done starting up’. This means the server is up and ready to accept client connections.
If you get an error something like ‘WARNING: Another process is already using the following RTSP port: 554′, then the Darwin Service is already running in the background and you don’t have to start the server explicitly.
Your server is ready and all set to stream.
How do I connect using a player?
VLC Player: File->Open Network Stream. Select RTSP and give the URL as rtsp://localhost:554/sample_100kbit.mp4
QuickTime player: File->Open URL. Give the URL as rtsp://localhost:554/sample_100kbit.mp4
If all is fine, you should see an animated ‘Q’ – logo of Quick Time.
More info?
Google is of course there.

February 25, 2008 at 11:15 am
Hi,
I installed Darwin. While starting it using “DarwinStreamingServer.exe -d”, it’s throwing error like
WARNING: Another process is already using the following RTSP port: 554
WARNING: Another process is already using the following RTSP port: 7070
WARNING: Another process is already using the following RTSP port: 8000
WARNING: Another process is already using the following RTSP port: 8001
WARNING: Streaming Server failed to listen on all requested RTSP port(s).
WARNING: Streaming Server is not listening for RTSP on any ports.
Please help me to resolve the problem.
Thank you
Ram
February 25, 2008 at 12:06 pm
Ram,
I guess you didn’t read my post properly. See here:
“If you get an error something like ‘WARNING: Another process is already using the following RTSP port: 554′, then the Darwin Service is already running in the background and you don’t have to start the server explicitly.”
July 2, 2008 at 12:37 am
C:\Program Files\Darwin Streaming Server>DarwinStreamingServer.exe -d
INFO: Module Loaded…QTSSRefMovieModule [dynamic]
INFO: Module Loaded…QTSSFileModule [static]
INFO: Module Loaded…QTSSReflectorModule [static]
INFO: Module Loaded…QTSSRelayModule [static]
INFO: Module Loaded…QTSSAccessLogModule [static]
INFO: Module Loaded…QTSSFlowControlModule [static]
INFO: Module Loaded…QTSSPosixFileSysModule [static]
INFO: Module Loaded…QTSSAdminModule [static]
INFO: Module Loaded…QTSSMP3StreamingModule [static]
INFO: Module Loaded…QTSSAccessModule [static]
WARNING: No users file found at c:\Program Files\Darwin Streaming Server\qtusers
.
WARNING: No groups file found at c:\Program Files\Darwin Streaming Server\qtgrou
ps.
Streaming Server done starting up
July 10, 2008 at 3:12 pm
Coool yaar thanks for this usefull help
Regrads
Navneet Gupta
July 12, 2008 at 5:05 am
So I get the test videos working great, but I can’t seem to get any other videos working other then the samples… anyone else had this problem? I’ve tried even converting videos to IPOD/Quicktime H.264, and still get errors trying to open them.
August 7, 2008 at 1:02 pm
Doesn’t anybody distribute an already compiled version of Darwin Streaming Server? I don’t have the resources to compile the code myself.
October 13, 2008 at 11:52 am
Hi all,
I installed DSS 5.5.1 on windows XP, but unable to stream thru any client, I am getting the following message after i gave
“DarwinStreamingServer.exe -d ” is my server up, Pls help
Could not load configuration file at c:\Program Files\DarwinStreaming Server\streamingserver.cfg.
Generating a new prefs file at c:\Program Files\Darwin Streaming Server\streamingserver.xml
INFO: Module Loaded…QTSSRefMovieModule [dynamic]
INFO: Module Loaded…QTSSFileModule [static]
INFO: Module Loaded…QTSSReflectorModule [static]
INFO: Module Loaded…QTSSRelayModule [static]
INFO: Module Loaded…QTSSAccessLogModule [static]
INFO: Module Loaded…QTSSFlowControlModule [static]
INFO: Module Loaded…QTSSPosixFileSysModule [static]
INFO: Module Loaded…QTSSAdminModule [static]
INFO: Module Loaded…QTSSMP3StreamingModule [static]
INFO: Module Loaded…QTSSAccessModule [static]
WARNING: No users file found at c:\Program Files\Darwin Streaming Server\qtusers
.
WARNING: No groups file found at c:\Program Files\Darwin Streaming Server\qtgrou
ps.
Streaming Server done starting up
Thanks
Vinay
March 21, 2009 at 7:04 pm
I think I need to download Perl, but how do you work Perl?
March 22, 2009 at 3:56 pm
Hi, i have successed to install darwin but not know how to edit playlist and what will be rtsp:// url to play it via mobile.
March 31, 2009 at 7:44 pm
Hi I wanted to play more than one video (stored in different files) altogether. I tried to create playlist and called the playlist in the rtsp url, but didn’t work. Does anyone have ever tried to play multiple streams one after the other? Please help me. BTW, I am using ubuntu.
Thanks in advance
May 21, 2009 at 2:02 pm
Hi,
Do you know if the DSS works with VISTA? I made it work with XP. I get an error message that I have to install activeperl. But I already have perl installed.
May 22, 2009 at 1:26 pm
you have to download msvcrt.exe from microsoft website and follows the readme.txt of this msvcrt
July 9, 2009 at 9:23 pm
Hi,
Did you get the DSS working on vista ? If so please share how to get it working on Windiows Vista. I too get the same error , saying I need to install activeperl, although I have already installed activeperl.
Thanks. Appreciate any inputs.
May 22, 2009 at 1:21 pm
Hi,
I am using DSS on the windows plateform. I want to know how do i rtsp stream of my web cam through DSS in xp
June 4, 2009 at 3:30 pm
i have download darwin streaming server 6.0.3
and install it on windows xp 2006 according to instruction given for windows
but when i run in browser the address
like this
“http://127.0.0.1.:1220″
it create error which is
“Connect Failed: Unknow Error”
please help me for this problem
i have done every thing according to instruction but don’t know what happen.
June 13, 2009 at 8:06 pm
Open up command prompt and run the following command for web administration purposes:
C:\Perl\bin\perl “C:\Program Files\Darwin Streaming Server\streamingadminserver.pl”
(Note: Do not close this window or web administration won’t work but server will run, you can
also copy the command to bat file and place it in the Windows startup folder)
Note: On Windows it may be necessary to reset the administrative password before running streamingserveradmin.pl, the Perl administrative server. You can create/reset the administrative password on Windows with the following command:
C:\Perl\bin\perl “C:\Program Files\Darwin Streaming Server\WinPasswdAssistant.pl”
If you don’t have perl s/w, here is the link to download.
Download latest Active Perl distribution (needed by Windows OS for web administration) http://aspn.activestate.com/ASPN/Downloads/ActivePerl/
October 12, 2009 at 1:32 pm
Hi Ziathegreat,
I think DSS only works for rtsp and not http. btw, I tried installing DSS 6.0.3 to windows XP but I got error – “couldn’t find the en language messages file”
Can you tell me where can I find DS 6.0.3 compiled installer? I guess the one that I downloaded was only a source code.
Thanks,
Mon
July 4, 2009 at 12:11 am
Hi, there is no downloadable Darwin software onto the site for WinXP. Can somebody help me?
July 22, 2009 at 3:10 pm
where is Darwin server download link ? I am seraching from last 24 hrs…
please help me…
August 4, 2009 at 4:28 am
I anyone has problems getting Darwin to work on Win32, be sure to rename “streamingserver.xml-sample” to “streamingserver.xml”. Then, on command line, if you get “Couldn’t read xml file. Fatal error: Could not load configuration file at \streamingserver.xml”, then add on command line the option “-c” and add the location of the config file with full path. Also, you can go into the config file and see if all the paths are correct.
Worked for me…
August 5, 2009 at 10:37 am
same like chris
i’ve got DSS running on vista(for testing/research purpose), able to play all of the sample files using VLC media player as a client…
but if i added a new file into the folder, i can’t accessed it. already check the security , ownership and all with no satisfactory results..the new file still can be played
vlc player gives error :
[0x38f9e64] live555 demux error: Failed to connect with rtsp://127.0.01:554/zzzz.mp3
[0x19ba66c] main input error: open of `rtsp://127.0.01:554/zzzz.mp3′ failed: (nu
ll)
anybody have the same experience?
August 24, 2009 at 8:45 am
When I go to C:\Program Files\Darwin Streaming Server and and enter DarwinStreamingServer.exe -d I get the error DarwinStreamingServer.exe is not recognized as an internal or external command operable program or batch file
September 19, 2009 at 4:56 pm
“C:\Program Files\Darwin Streaming Server\DarwinStreamingServer.exe” -d
don’t forget the guillemets “” and the space between the last ” and -d
August 29, 2009 at 1:14 pm
A user connected to it can save the file from network. is it possible that the file can be saved and only viewed.
September 5, 2009 at 7:34 am
some findings….
I installed the darwin on winxp sp2. To start it I ran a command in command prompt “DarwinStreamingServer.exe -d” and kept teh command prompt open as it did not exit automatically (i wished so).
I use the sample files in movies folder they played well, but when i try to play my files they fail with some error message.(on VLC player of course).
later i tried to find out teh sample file information and I used ffmpe to do so,
i did the following,
ffmpeg -i sample_h264_1mbit.mp4
Input #0, mov,mp4,m4a,3gp,3g2,mj2, from ’sample_h264_1mbit.mp4′:
Duration: 00:01:10.01, start: 0.000000, bitrate: 1019 kb/s
Stream #0.0(eng): Audio: aac, 48000 Hz, stereo, s16
Stream #0.1(eng): Video: h264, yuv420p, 380×480, 30 tbr, 30 tbn, 60 tbc
Stream #0.2(eng): Data: rtp / 0×20707472
Stream #0.3(eng): Data: rtp / 0×20707472
it strangely has rtp packets in the stream and none of the streams I generated have the same.
Anyone knows a fix. please help.
September 7, 2009 at 11:14 pm
found a fix,
I hinted the stream using MP4Box
command is MP4box -hint filename
that fixed it.
September 9, 2009 at 5:22 pm
Got Connect Failed: Unknown error at the web admin page.
October 15, 2009 at 11:06 pm
http://generally.wordpress.com/2007/08/07/how-to-setup-darwin-streaming-server-on-windows/
November 9, 2009 at 10:00 pm
Hi, I can’t find downloadable Darwin software onto the site for WinXP. Can somebody help me?
Thanks a lot
Abood
November 12, 2009 at 10:11 pm
Hi, can somebody tell me where i can avail the html code for embedding video files