To set server authentication

You can simulate additional load on the Windows Media server by forcing it to authenticate any number of users that you specify. It takes additional server resources to authenticate each user; therefore, adding user authentication to the load test stresses the server being tested even more. To set up user authentication for the simulated clients, you must create user names and passwords for the simulated clients in Windows Media Load Simulator. Then you must activate user authentication on the Windows Media server that you are load-testing.

In Windows Media Load Simulator:

1. On the Tools menu, click Settings.
   
   
2. On the Authentication tab, select Test Server Authentication.
   
   
3. In First User, enter a number.

   The user name for this user is UserNumber and the password for this user is PasswordNumber, where Number is the value you typed in First User.

4. In Number of users, enter the number of users that you want the server to authenticate.

   Each user has a user name and password that begins with UserNumber and PasswordNumber and increases in increments of one for each user you enter in Number of users.

Note It is recommended that you enter a value for Number of users that you estimate the server will have to authenticate in real-world conditions.

In Windows Media Administrator:

1. In the Windows Media Administrator menu frame, click the down arrow to display the Windows Media server list, and then click the server that you want to load-test.

   If the server you want to load-test is not displayed, or no servers are displayed, click Add Server, and then add the server to the list.

2. Click Server Properties.

   The Server Properties page appears. The content on the General tab appears by default.

3. Click the Publishing Point Security tab.
   
   
4. From the Authentication Packages list, select HTTP- Basic Authentication and NTLM Account Database.
   
   
5. Click Apply.
   
   
6. Restart the Windows Media Unicast Service on the Windows Media server to activate authentication. For more information, see To restart the Windows Media Unicast Service in the online help for Windows Media Administrator.
   
   
7. On the Windows Media server, create user accounts for the simulated clients to be authenticated and set sharing permissions so that Everyone has at least Read rights to the streams that are used for the load test.