I Can’t Get Into the Conference! …and other problems encountered Megan Troyer The Ohio State University and OARnet Internet2 Site Coordinator Training September, 2004 Austin, Texas

2 Follow Directions  Commons Dialing Directions come with a date and time (with time zone) reminder and directions like: 1.Register with a GDS Gatekeeper, if you need to borrow space go here: Make sure you are connecting at 384 kbps 3.Dial (no spaces) 4.Call xxxx for technical support

3 Timing is Everything  Time zone confusion can be problematic  Don’t be surprised if your Tuesday conference is empty on Wednesday, or simply wont let you in!

4 Registering with a Gatekeeper  Many new users have never done this  Typically an administrative chore and requires administrative access to the endpoint’s settings  This does take a few minutes and can require some rebooting, so be prepared  If your campus is already GDS, make a note of that on the cheat sheet in VC room

5 How to Register with the Commons Gatekeeper 1.In your videoconferencing endpoint unit, navigate to the H.323 settings menu 2.Enter your address as your endpoint’s H.323 Name  This gives administrators some idea of who is registering and from where

6 How to Register with the Commons Gatekeeper 3.Assign yourself an E.164 number in this format  your 10 digit phone number  If your phone number is (111) , your GDS number would be  Your endpoint's system may need to be rebooted.

7 How to Register with the Commons Gatekeeper 4.Navigate back to the H.323/Gatekeeper setting 5.Enter the following IP address:  Again, your endpoint may need to be rebooted 6.Congratulations! You should now be registered with the Internet2 Commons Gatekeeper

8 Again, Why Should I Use GDS?  Achieves a static address or number in dynamic world If you move your system around from room to room on DHCP network, you can always be called using the same number  Allows for “long distance” dialing without having to change Gatekeepers  Facilitates use of MCUs by people in different organizations or countries

9 Global Dialing Scheme The Global Dialing Scheme (GDS) provides a structure for peering between gatekeepers, such that any endpoint associated with a ViDeNet zone may dial an endpoint in any other ViDeNet zone. See

10 Check Your Speed!  Some MCUs will not let you in if you dial at an incorrect speed  Some will only give you partial connection Only audio Only video Frozen image  Faster is not always the best way to go!

11 Check Your Digits!  One added number may put you in a completely different place  Some MCUs have predefined meeting “rooms” where a mistyped dial string will cause disconnection  You do not enter the spaces in a GDS dial string, the spaces are for readability like the parenthesis and dashes in telephone numbers

12 Do You have a Firewall or NAT?  Firewall + H.323 = Bad  NAT + H.323 = Bad  Firewall + NAT + H.323 = Bad  The Commons runs and manages a Ridgeway IP Freedom server

13 Ridgeway IP Freedom  Simple port translation box to allow H.323 to use native dynamic spread of TCP and UDP ports  Makes sure the traffic makes it back to where you are  Registers you with the Commons Gatekeeper  Limited seats on the server  Will allow subscribers to use our box until we run out of space and have to kick people off

14 Still Can’t Get In?  Some endpoints require you to specify for them to dial by IP  Is your endpoint ISDN or ATM? You will need a gateway to convert your signal to IP and back  Check to make sure the Ethernet cable is plugged into the right place

15 Okay, Now I’m In But it Looks Terrible!  Do you have enough bandwidth? A dedicated T1 for video might not be enough Say you have 4 endpoints all videoconferencing at 384 kbps 4 * 384 kbps = 1536 kbps which is your WHOLE T1 and that doesn’t allow room for overhead Network congestion can cause a poor videoconferencing experience  Did you check your duplex settings Duplex mismatch is the “silent killer” of videoconferencing

16 A Word on Etiquette  Remember to mute your microphone  Try to stay in the frame of the video for the other end’s pleasure There’s nothing more distracting that looking at the top of someone’s head or out their window  Cut down on visual and audio distractions in the room Air conditioners, fans, and poor mic placement Busy backgrounds and clothing

17 And Never Forget…  Test  TEST!!!  Murphy’s law: If something can go wrong, it will.

18 Questions? Thank you Megan Troyer (614)