Microsoft SilverLight Server Interview Questions/FAQs

Questions and answers for Microsoft SilverLight Server.

4. Microsoft SilverLight Server

4.1 Will Silverlight-based applications and content run on any Web Server?

Silverlight works with any Web server just like HTML does. Video and audio content can also be progressively downloaded and played back from any Web server platform.

4.2 Is Microsoft making new server investments for creation and delivery of digital media?

The recently released Windows Server 2008 is the next-generation server operating system from Microsoft that will help content providers realize new levels of reliability and scalability, all with lower-cost content delivery. With the release of Windows Server 2008 we have made significant investments in two key areas : IIS 7.0 Media Pack for delivering media via progressive download from a web server and Windows Media Services 2008 for live and on-demand streaming from a dedicated streaming media server.

To deliver streaming media, customers can use Windows Media Services (WMS) 2008. Windows Media Services 2008, like all of Windows Server 2008, is significantly more secure, reliable and robust. Windows Media Services 9.0 was already considered by many customers to be the best in the market for live and streaming delivery, and the latest improvements provide up to 2x scalability increases.

Silverlight joins the list of client platforms that can connect to and present WMS streamed audio and video as an integrated part of media-enabled applications for the Web, whether you are building a simple cross-platform, browser-based media experience or a rich internet application (RIA) for the Web.
For delivering content from a web server, also known as progressive download, we are introducing the Internet Information Services (IIS) 7.0 Media Pack, a new set of features designed to reduce Web server media delivery costs. The first shipping feature of the IIS 7.0 Media Pack is Bit Rate Throttling, which gives administrators the ability to control the amount of media that is delivered to the client. By controlling media delivery, Bit Rate Throttling reduces bandwidth costs, streamlines network traffic and increases concurrent connections. The next feature in the IIS7.0 Media Pack is Web Playlists, a server-side playlist solution for progressively download media.

4.3 What is streaming? What is progressive download?

Streaming occurs when an active connection exists between the client application and the server. Content can be on-demand or live. On average, the cost of delivery of streamed content is lower since only those portions actually viewed are delivered.

Progressive download traditionally refers to the send-and-forget download of an on-demand audio or video file to the client. It is simple to implement with only a Web server, which can be attractive for existing Web infrastructures. The new IIS Media Pack Bit Rate Throttling feature allows you to do progressive downloads from IIS with increased scalability and reduced bandwidth costs.