Windows Media Player

I have just created a log in account for our languages department to upload their listening material for mock exams. We will rip the CD to mp3 or WMA and create a playlist on windows media player for playback via headphones.

Does anyone have any idea as to how many simultanious logins to play the same files before there would be a lot of stuttering and buffering? We would be looking at around 25 candidates logged into thin clients to playback the files.

I tried around 7 as thats as far as I could get by jumping from machine to machine physically to test but I won't actually be able to get a class to simulate for a week or so.

Any ideas peeps?

Cheers,

Andy T

A very large number, WMP buffers a tiny bit of the MP3 really quick and MP3s only use a tiny bit of data like 1-2MB a minute. Assuming that your server has a 1GB link that works out at max theoretical rate of 125 megabytes a second assuming 60% efficiency that is 75MB a second which is 4500MB a minute, if it is a standard bitrate mp3 (about 192bps - approx 2mb/min) then that is 2250 simultaneous streams.

I am guessing that you will probably have massively less than 2250 students sitting the exam at once so I think you'll be fine :D

SYNACK thank you for your prompt response.... lmfao - I think we should be able to cope then :)