Transcript Details of the Mconf service

Mconf web conferencing:
An Open Source Multi-conference
System
Presented by Kasandra Isaac
SANReN Engineer
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Points of discussion
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Advantages/Disadvantages of video conferencing
4 groups of video conference systems
SA NREN’s goal with video conferencing offering
The spectrum of video conferencing solutions
What is Mconf?
Why web conferencing?
Solutions explored?
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Points of discussion…cont.
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Why Mconf web conferencing?
Mconf features
How to access the service
Who can use it?
Rules of use
Possible future developments
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Video conferencing traits
Advantages
• Saves Time and Money
• Sharing Information is Easy
• Facilitates long-distance Programs
• Increased productivity across dispersed workforces and teams
• Support for environmental initiatives – reduces carbon
footprint
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Video conferencing traits
Advantages
• Improved hiring and retention of top talent as teams
can now be dispersed
• Sustainable competitive advantage – share
knowledge more widely, resulting in faster and more
informed decisions that reduce the time to market
for new products and services.
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Video conferencing traits
Disadvantages
• Technical Problems
• Lack of Personal Interaction
• High cost of Setup
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4 groups of Video conference Systems
1. Room: Hardware, eg. Polycom, Lifesize, Vidyo
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2. Telepresence: Cisco telepresence
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3. Desktop: Installs and launches system on computer
eg. Vidyo, Zoom, Skype
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4. Web: Launches from within your browser eg. Adobe
Connect, BBB, Mconf
4. Web: Run within a browser: Adobe
Connect, Big Blue Button, Mconf
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The SA NREN’s goal
• To facilitate research and education collaboration
initiatives through video conferencing systems:
– Vidyo (300 concurrent user licences available for a year)
– Mconf web conferencing
• Two systems are currently available to cater for the
majority of video conferencing collaboration needs
– Choice available to users
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What is Mconf?
• A research collaboration tool that is web based
• It can also be set up as a room based video conferencing
system
• Open source conferencing system for web and mobile devices
(Beta phase)
• Distance education, Remote meetings, Broadcasting events
• Based on Big Blue Button web conferencing
• Began as a research project at PRAV: Projects in Audio and
Video, Brazil
• Development funded by Brazilian NREN, RNP
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Why web conferencing?
• Browser based application – No download or plug-in
required for basic participation in a meeting
• WebRTC audio technology (latest video conferencing
technology craze)
• Will replace current Adobe Connect installation that
was a trial installation hosted by SANReN
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Technology Selection
Criteria for Selection:
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Proven in Use: By trial, Success of other NRENs, Functionality
Maintenance and Support
Ease of Use
Ease to take into production
Cost
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Solutions explored
Many…
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Adobe connect
Jamvee
Blackboard collaborate
Skype
Google hangouts
Commercial products were not a viable solution..
Open source: BigBlueButton and Mconf
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Why Mconf web conferencing?
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Compares well with Adobe connect use and features
Mconf modified for R&E use in the Brazilian NREN community
Open source – No licensing cost for use
Excellent support from Mconf Development team
R&D Project investment by Brazilian NREN, RNP
Opportunity available to collaborate with the Brazilian NREN,
RNP
• Opportunity to contribute to development of Mconf due to
open-source nature
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Mconf’s distinguishing features
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Mconf’s web portal
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Provides access to Mconf web conferences
Allows users to create and participate in web conferences
Provides user authentication through federation identity management
Permission control to access web conference rooms – public/private
settings
• Follows a social network model with spaces (communities) that have
events
• Users have their own web conferences that they can share with other
members or even invite non-members
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Mconf’s distinguishing features
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Mconf’s web portal (continued)
• Each space also has a web conference room that its members
can use to interact
• Events can be used to schedule web conferences inside a
space
• Document repository
• Wall for each room
• Direct support for Mconf admin with Mconf Development
team
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Mconf’s distinguishing features
2. Mconf-Live Global Network
• Global Scalability and monitoring
• Global pool of Mconf-Live servers is available
for use
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Concept of spaces vs rooms
• A web conferencing room is a tool within a
collaboration space
• The concept of spaces is useful for an NREN
community as it can represent:
– National projects
– Teams/communities across national/international
boundaries
– It can also represent a specific course/lecture
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Within each space, you have access to
the following tools:
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A web conference room
Set preferences for web conferencing room
List of recordings for meetings in that room
A message wall
List of users within the space
Publish news items
Invite people to participate in the space
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Summary
Each member has a:
• Personal meeting space with a personal meeting
room
• And can generate project/community specific spaces
with a project/community specific room and other
collaboration features
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Use of collaboration spaces
• The use of collaboration spaces are helpful to
keep all members up-to-date
• Members can select how often they would like
to receive digest emails from collaboration
spaces that they belong to
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Requirements for using the meeting
room
• Basic service is compatible in all browsers
• Mozilla Firefox is best suited to support the desktop
sharing and recording feature
• WebRTC will be used for audio in all WebRTC supported
browsers
• Fall back to Flash audio for unsupported WebRTC
browsers
• Java V 1.7.0 update 51 for desktop sharing
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How do participants enter the meeting
room?
• There is a unique “url” per meeting room
• The participant clicks on the “url” to enter the
meeting
• The participant will follow audio test prompts to
connect correctly to the meeting
• Can connect to “listen only” or to be an “active
participant”
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Features of the web conference
• Roles of presenter and participant are interchangeable
throughout the meeting
• More than one presenter
• More than one person can contribute to writing on the
whiteboard or annotating a presentation during the
meeting session
• Theoretical maximum meeting size 80-100 users
• Large amount of functionality within the meeting room
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Possible meeting room layouts:
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Default
Custom layout
Video chat
Webcam
Lecture
Lecture assistant
Presentation
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Desktop sharing
Audio tests
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Webcam
Recording feature
Presentation screen
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Summary of Mconf features
• Real-time communication with audio and video
• Screen and presentation sharing, chat, and
shared notes during the session
• A web portal to collaborate and communicate
effectively with members of a space
• Use in all modern web browsers and operating
systems
• Federated Identity integration
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Demo of recording feature
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How to gain access to the production
service
• Register at https://mconf.sanren.ac.za
• Federated sign-in is recommended
• Registration process will be open to nonfederated users until 2016 after which your
institution must be registered to
to gain access to the service
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Mconf Production service
• Available at https://mconf.sanren.ac.za
Who can use it?
• The South African Research, Education and
Innovation community.
Rules around use
• To aid in Research, Collaboration and Education
• Strictly non - commercial use only
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Possible future developments:
• Ongoing development by Mconf Technologia: Mconf development
team funded by Brazilian NREN, RNP
• Further mobile client development
• Due to open source nature – there is an opportunity for the South
African NREN community to contribute towards Mconf’s
development
• To create an HTML5 client, in order to have web conference in other
mobile platforms such as iOS and Windows Phone
• To allow interaction with room systems like Polycom, using H.323 or
SIP
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Summary
• Mconf will be a free web conferencing service offered to the
research and education community
• Mconf production service is being hosted by TENET
• This will replace the Adobe Connect installation hosted by
SANReN
• The service can be used from within a web browser, as
centralised collaboration service for the NREN
• Preferred method of accessing the service – Join SAFIRE
federation
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Thank you for listening
Questions?
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