[icecast] Icecast or Apache streaming for static files?

[Scott Manley]

Jack Moffitt wrote:
> 
> > What are the advantages for using Icecast to stream static MP3 files
> > rather than just letting Apache handle the streaming?
> 
> There are a few variables.
> 
> In general, I always use apache for streaming static content.  There is
> hardly a reason not to.
> 
> Now, when would I change my mind?
> 
> - if the songs are very large and the simultaneous listeners are as
> well.  apache sucks more resources than icecast per client (one forked
> process for each to icecast's 32 bytes extra or whatever).  this can be
> worked around by putting apache on multiple boxes.  myplay used to run
> exclusively on apache with thousands and thousands of users.  I'm not
> sure what they are doing today.

We do indeed still use apache, it's efficient enough for our purposes
and rock solid - we've never had any software failures. Certainly apache
has more overhead. Myplay of course deals purely in individual streams,
there's no 

> - if the streaming needs any kind of logic.  When vorbis has bitrate
> peeling, apache will no longer be a good fit.
Actually, the apache module interface is perfectly suited to adding
stream logic and myplay has a shitload of this to build playlists and
samples in realtime.

> So right now, unless apache is breaking on your setup, use it for static
> streaming.  The static streaming feature in icecast was added for
> convinience, but it's not really capable of much.  I was planning to add
> much more to it at the time (like streaming playlists or streaming 30
> second clips from full mp3s, or streaming a random 30 seconds of the
> files, etc, but never got around to it.

Myplay has this kind of logic in an apache module, it's pretty trivial
to develop.

> Of course, this argument will change as soon as there is a decent RTSP
> server.  I think one could be implemented within the Apache 2.0 module
> API, but I haven't looked into this in depth.

Yaayy RTSP....
Jack - you might have something there, I will look into this.


-- 
Scott Manley (AKA Szyzyg)
Streaming Media Hacker
www.myplay.com

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