AirPlay screen mirroring software AirServer has been updated to support iOS 7 and resolves many problems with installing the software on Windows domain computers.
A couple of weeks ago I posted an article about how to resolve a number of issues installing AirServer on domain PCs in schools. The code I posted was a work around to automatically add password and activation details for staff using AirServer which the software did not do automatically.
In AirServer 1.9.1, however, many of these issues have been resolved as well as adding support for iOS 7 devices, which previous versions of AirServer worked with inconsistently.
For the full change log, and command line switches to automatically enter password and activations details click below.
[showhide type=”changelog” more_text=”Click here to show the AirServer 1.9.1 change log” less_text=”Hide the change log” hidden=”yes”]
Key features:
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Support for iOS 7 added.
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Support for iPhone 5s 64-bit added.
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Audio rewritten using Microsoft Media Foundation.
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Better support for various audio formats.
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Better iTunes multiple speakers audio synchronization.
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New authentication methods: On screen passcode/password/ask me.
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Support for fast user switching.
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Installer can use transforms, to drive activation and configuration (PIDKEY, CHECKFORUPDATES).
Using Orca open the msi and then from the Transform menu select New Transform. Then make the changes you want to make to the installer. For example to have the installer activate AirServer open the Property table and add a property named PIDKEY with the value being the activation code or email address. After making the changes select Generate Transform from the Transform menu. Then select Close Transform from the Transform menu and then Close from the File menu and then exit Orca.
To use the transform (or test it) you can use msiexec:
Msiexec.exe /i AirServerSetup.msi /q TRANSFORMS=XYZAirServer.mstFor debugging you might want to use some logging:
Msiexec.exe /i AirServerSetup.msi /q TRANSFORMS=XYZAirServer.mst /L*V logfile.txtProperties of interest:
PIDKEY activation code or email address
CHECKFORUPDATES=YES/TRUE/1/enable/NO/FALSE/0/disable (case insensitive) -
More command line options.
AirServerConsole.exe can now be run with the following command lines. AirServer.exe can also be run with the following command lines but as it is not a console application it does not report output to a console window.
Usage:
AirServerConsole.exe [optional argument prefix][optional arguments]Running AirServerConsole.exe with no arguments will cause AirServer to start with a console window. AirServer will print diagnostic messages into the console window.
Optional Argument Prefix:
You can prefix the argument name with / or – or — if you want. You do not have to specify a prefix.Optional Arguments:
AirServerConsole.exe processes argument names character by character. This means that /version can be truncated to /ve. Specifying /v will cause confusion between /validate and /version. Such confusion will result in the appearance of this help text that you are reading.activate [activation code]
Activates AirServer with the given activation code. If no activation code is specified then the activation code is removed. Removing the activation code does not deactivate the instance of AirServer on the. activation servers, it simply removes the activation information from the registry. Activation is also possible from the installer by using msiexec.exe and specifying the activation code as the named parameter PIDKEY. If you activate with the process running elevated then the activation information is writed under the local machine registry hive otherwise it is written to the current user’s registry hive.activate everyone
Activates everyone on the computer with the activation code of the current user. This command must be run elevated as it moves the activation code from the current user’s registry hive to the local machine registry hive.authenticate [who] [using] PasswordType
“who” defines who the authentication setting is applied to. Valid values are “me” and “everyone”. The default is “everyone”.
“me” causes the setting to write the current users registry store.
“everyone” causes the setting to write to the local machine registry store.
“using” is an optional word for readability.
“PasswordType” can have one the following values:Password Type Notes none Turns authentication off. password [string] The password specified as “string” is used to authenticate. onscreenpassword A random password is displayed on the computers monitor, when authentication occurs. passcode A random password is displayed on the computers monitor, when authentication occurs. askme A “yes”/”no” question is shown on the computers monitor, when authentication occurs. If the old or new settings apply to eveyone then run this command from an elevated command prompt.
See also “remove authentication”deactivate
Deactivates AirServer and removes the activation information from the registry. Deactivation will also attempt to remove the activation from the activation servers.disable feature
The disable option disables a feature of AirServer. Replace the text “feature” with the name of the feature to disable. Multiple features can be specified by placing a space between them. The following features can be disabled currently:Feature Name Notes CheckForUpdates The command must be run elevated. RunAtStartup The command must be run elevated. enable feature
The enable option enables a feature of AirServer. Replace the text “feature” with the name of the feature to enable. Multiple features can be specified by placing a space between them. The following features can be enabled currently:Feature Name Notes CheckForUpdates The command must be run elevated. RunAtStartup The command must be run elevated. help|?
Displays information about commands that this program supports.remove activation
The “remove activation” option removes the activation information from the registry. This does not deactivate AirServer on the activation servers.remove authentication
This option attempts to remove all authentication information from the registry. Run this command elevated if the authentication settings apply to everyone.run
The run option starts AirServer with a console window that displays diagnostic information.validate
The validate option checks that the activation information in the registry is valid and that the product is activated. If the check is successfull then 0 is returned from the process and 0 is printed to the console. If the check is not successfull then 1 is returned from the process and 1 is printed. If an unexpected error occurs then that will be reported on the console also.version
Displays version information for AirServer.exe. -
Activation prompts to activate all user accounts on the computer.
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Video playback uses the prefered audio output when using Media Foundation or DirectShow.
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Uninstaller does not show “Launch Air Server” when run with full UI.
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Various performance enhancements and bug fixes.
I am a dane in Denmark. I am new to mirroring iPad to PC.
I have succed with AirServer to my own PC/LAN (OS Win 8 (64 bit))
I had to enable ‘Multicast Support’ in my router.
How commom is the problem with disabled ‘Multicast Support’ ?
Are there any sequrity issues in a larger network if ‘Multicast Support’ is enabled ?
Hello,
There are definite performance and security issues that enabling multicast on network routers cause. The details are too complex to go into in a comment post, so I’ll try to put an article together about this in the near future. If you Google “multicast performance and security” you’ll come across a lot of relevant information.
Hope this helps.
Karl