This unique PDF-only book is the ideal primer for web developers just getting started with Flash Media Server 2 (FMS2) and Adobe's Real-Time Messaging Protocol (RTMP) for streaming media, and for anyone doing administrative work with Flash-related content. It's not a reference, but a step-by-step guide for using Flash Media Server 2, with chapters that focus on specific aspects of the server and how they work.

What makes Flash Media Server 2 so different? You'll discover that, in contrast to conventional web servers, FMS2 includes open-socket server technology that's stays connected to stream audio, video, and text in real time. Connect to this server using RTMP, and build applications using three flavors of ActionScript: ActionScript 2.0, Client side ActionScript, and Server side ActionScript.

Don't worry. With Learning Flash Media Server 2 and a little Flash and ActionScript experience, you'll be up to speed in no time. The first chapter takes you though the installation procedures on Windows and Linux, explains how to organize your development environment using Apache web server, how to test your FMS2 connections, and how to use the management console. Then you'll dive right into the whys and hows of:

• Recording and playing back streaming audio and video
• Camera and microphone settings
• Non-persistent client-side remote shared objects
• Two-way audio-video communications
• Broadcasting and server-side bandwidth control
• Working with server-side files: the file class
• Server-side shared objects
• Server-side audio and video streaming
• Server-side loadvars, xml and working with configuration files

At the heart of every chapter is a core set of code that shows the minimum requirements needed for different procedures. Beyond that, Learning Flash Media Server 2 provides you with plenty of options for using FMS2. It's a whole new world of media, and this book puts you right at the doorstep. Ready to enter?