PHP socket server

[macsym]

Hi everybody,

I am running a streaming server at home. The problem is that I have a low bandwidth so only 3 people can actually listen to my radio at the same time. I use a little PHP script that opens a socket to my stream and replicate it on my web server. Basically, I am trying to use my host bandwidth instead of mine since I have a 15Gb/month data transfer contract but I only use about 10 Mb/month…

The script is:
<?php
$streamname = "mydomain"; //the domain where the streaming server is running
$port = "8000"; // the streaming server’s port
$path = "/mystream.mp3"; // extra path to open the stream

header("Content-type: audio/mpeg");
$sock = fsockopen($streamname,$port);
fputs($sock, "GET $path HTTP/1.0\r\n");
fputs($sock, "Host: $streamname\r\n");
fputs($sock, "User-Agent: WinampMPEG/2.8\r\n");
fputs($sock, "Accept: /\r\n");
fputs($sock, "Icy-MetaData:1\r\n");
fputs($sock, "Connection: close\r\n\r\n");
fpassthru($sock);
fclose($sock);
?>

This scripts works fine because listeners now load the stream from my web server and not my streaming server but I have a problem: if 20 persons run this script, my web server will open 20 different sockets to my streaming server which means that the live stream is downloaded 20 times. I would like to create only 1 socket so that the web server only downloads one time the live stream while it redistribute it to all listeners.

I previously created a thread about this topic about 3 months ago but nobody answered me. If it is impossible, could you just tell me: “it is not possible”?

Thanks in advance for any help,

Macsym

[drew010]

distributing to 20 people requires at least 20 sockets. you cant stream it once for everyone. think of it that each person connects to the server and downloads from the stream. it has to send the data to each person. that is how all internet apps work, if 500 people are loading a webpage thru apache, there are 500 connections, 1 to each person sending them the content.

[macsym]

Hi drew,

Thanks for your quick answer. I think you didn't fully understand what I meant.

I know the webserver will send 20 times the stream to 20 different users, but what I want is the webserver to DOWNLOAD only one time the live stream from the streaming server. Since the content is the same for all listeners, there is no need to download it 20 times from the streaming server. It downloads it 1 time and resend it 20 times (1 download from streaming server -> 20 uploads to users). What I am trying to do is using my host bandwidth.

Tell me what you think.

Macsym

[drew010]

instead of using that script above to forward the data, maybe you should just use the same script to redirect people to the stream on your host server. once connected to the host, 20 people still would have the server sending the same data 20 times. that part is unavoidable.

[macsym]

maybe you should just use the same script to redirect people to the stream on your host server

You mean redirect them to the STREAMING server right?

Well, if I apply what you say, I don't even have to use the script, I could just make an href to the stream's URL…

I am still persuaded that it is possible to get the streaming server sending only ONE instance of the stream to the web server that would distribute it to all listeners

I think the main problem is that my script is not a standalone application. With a php standalone application that I would run on the webserver, I could replicate the stream on a custom port. Instead of calling the script’s URL in the client’s media player (eg. http://mydomain.com/myscript.php), I would call the replicated stream (eg. http://mydomain.com:8000)

Do you have an idea of how I could do that?

Macsym