HTTP Membership Authentication Error In Windows Media Administrator

• Microsoft Windows Media Services version 4.0

SYMPTOMS

When enabling the HTTP-BASIC Authentication and Membership Service in the Windows Media Administrator and restarting, you may get the following error when returning to the Windows Media Administrator:

The authentication package 'HTTP-BASIC Authentication and Membership Service Account Database' has failed to load with the Windows Media Unicast Service. All client connections to the Unicast service will be refused at this time. Try restarting the service or disabling the authentication package.

CAUSE

Membership Service authentication requires that the LDAP service be running on the same computer as the Windows Media Server and that the LDAP service starts before the Windows Media Unicast Service. If the LDAP service is not running when the Unicast service starts, the Unicast service has no way of authenticating connections.

WORKAROUND

To temporarily work around the problem, stop and restart the Windows Media Unicast Service. Since the LDAP service should be started, the Unicast service should be able to authenticate. Once you restart the server, you will have to manually stop and restart the Unicast service.

To permanently work around the problem, you can make the Unicast service dependent on the LDAP service by modifying the services that the Unicast depends on. That way the Unicast service will wait until the LDAP service has started and then start.

WARNING: Using Registry Editor incorrectly can cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that problems resulting from the incorrect use of Registry Editor can be solved. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.

For information about how to edit the registry, view the "Changing Keys and Values" Help topic in Registry Editor (Regedit.exe) or the "Add and Delete Information in the Registry" and "Edit Registry Data" Help topics in Regedt32.exe. Note that you should back up the registry before you edit it. If you are running Windows NT, you should also update your Emergency Repair Disk (ERD).

1. Start Registry Editor (Regedt32.exe).



2. Locate the DependOnService value under the following key in the registry:

   
      HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\nsunicast 

   NOTE: The earlier registry key is one path; it has been wrapped for readability.



3. On the Edit menu, click Multi String. A list of services are displayed. Add the following to the bottom of the list: ldapsvc, and then click OK.



4. Quit the Registry Editor.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in Microsoft Windows Media Services version 4.0.

MORE INFORMATION

Additional query words: netshow wms

Keywords :
Version : :4.0
Platform :
Issue type : kbbug