|
 |
::
Video Conferencing Endpoint Setup Screens ::
Compiled
by Pete Woodworth, CTS @ Cal
Poly, SLO (805)756-7197
©2005, 2006 Links to this page are OK, but
please do not cut-and-paste.
Revised
July, 2006
The purpose of these pages is
to assist CSU and CENIC
technicians in configuring video conferencing
endpoints for use with their campus' CENIC/CVS Gatekeepers.
In this update, I have added notations which describe the minor, recommended changes needed to allow CENIC-registered endpoints access from Internet2 sites worldwide.
The Setup screens shown below
are from desktop clients or Web interfaces for
Polycom ViaVideo,
Polycom Viewstation-FX,
Tandberg 880.
I have left off any screens which were not directly
germane to the Gatekeeper. I highly recommend
the use of the Polycom and Tandberg Web interfaces
for speedier configuration, operation and call
stats. Additionally, I highly recommend
that folks keep their system software up-to-date;
there have been a lot of significant
enhancements added to both the Polycom and Tandberg
operating systems in the last couple of years; perhaps @ Sony and VCON as well. Do read
the latest firmware Release Notes at the
Polycom and Tandberg
websites to see what you may have been missing.
Here's how the gatekeeper system works:
There are several ID's required by the
Gatekeeper to identify any particular
video conferencing endpoint. One ID is
the current IP address of the endpoint
which is subject to change, such as with DHCP. The
other two permanent and unique ID(s) are
named differently depending on brand and
model of equipment, as seen below. Generally,
they are an alphanumeric Alias,
and an E.164 ID number. Some endpoints such as Polycom room systems also use the endpoint ISDN number as a 4th ID as well.
For CSU campuses, the E.164 number is the CENIC dialling
string based upon this
document (.pdf). This "CVS" dialing scheme is unique to the CENIC system.
For example, at Cal Poly
our CENIC address is 215000xxxx, where
xxxx is a number selected by the campus
representative (me) to be unique to a particular endpoint.
Every campus is required to have its own "H.323
Champion" to dole out the unique
Aliases and E.164 numbers.
The Username/Alias should be some unique address not found anywhere else in the world, such as an email address or your office phone number. However, unfortunately, some endpoints do not allow the @ symbol in the Alias field. When the E.164 number and unique Username/Alias are successfully registered with your campus gatekeeper, folks anywhere on the CENIC or I2 WANs can usually just dial your Alias or E.164 number to reach you. That's why "Bob" is a lousy alias; it's pretty likely someone already has that Username registered. More about this below.
! ! ! Perhaps you have not realised that endpoints registered with the CENIC gatekeeper(s) do NOT need to make a reservation through CENIC for POINT-TO-POINT calls; only for multipoint calls or the ISDN gateway. Just dial the endpoint's E.164 number! To find a site's address, just go to the old Reservation form, hover your mouse over the site's name and the E.164 address will pop up as if by magic:
It is also WAY cool that you can now make international calls via Internet2. Once your IP endpoint is up and running via CENIC, try dialing these test I2 GDS addresses at any speed:
Switch Zurich: 0041442681599
CENIC NOC: 1009001000 (fish tank)
If you want other I2 endpoints to be able to dial you, you must do a trick with your endpoint's CENIC address (it needs to end in '00') Contact me for more information.
|
| Note:
If, after completing your gatekeeper setup,
you are unable to place gatekeeper
alias calls, but are
able to place IP calls, this
indicates that there is a breakdown in some
port(s) between your endpoint, your gatekeeper,
and the regional gatekeeper. Contact
CENIC for assistance, 'cause they are
all over this. The NOC can poke your campus'
gatekeeper to observe correct endpoint registration. |
This page is subject to revision. The field entries shown below are examples only; some addresses are obscured for security purposes. Your mileage may vary. Call me for assistance regarding the information below.
|
Polycom
ViaVideo |
Software
Version 5.11 shown below. |
|
11/05: If you use a newer computer, I recommend Polycom's PVX client software along with a good USB camera. The setup is pretty much the same as below. Keep your old ViaVideo around for installations on older computers. |
 |
The General screen configures
the User Name and Email address.
On larger systems
as below, the User Name is also the 'System Name' or
'Host Name' which is displayed on the far-end's
monitor.
On a ViaVideo the User
Name is the "H.323 Name"
(alias) so must be unique to this endpoint. (see
below) Remember that if you want folks to be
able to dial you by your User Name alias, you
may want to make it easy to remember, such as
an email name or your phone number. Do not use "Administrator." Unfortunately, most punctuation here will be rejected by the Gatekeeper. |
 |
Enter your
Gatekeeper's IP address and select Specify.
As soon as the Gatekeeper chats up the ViaVideo,
the display echos "Registration was successful"
and adds the port:1719 designation.
As mentioned above, the
User Name becomes the 'H.323 Name' (alias).
This is handled differently on the Viewstation
and the Tandberg products.
If your endpoint is refused by the Gatekeeper, be sure you don't have punctuation marks in the username field. |
| The E.164 H.323 Extension must be a number unique to a particular endpoint. Within the CENIC dialling plan, SLO's dialling prefix is 215 000 xxxx, where xxxx is a number selected by the campus to be unique to a particular endpoint. In the case shown here, I have chosen '1000.' Therefore, the CENIC dialling string for this ViaVideo is 2150001000. Registered CENIC sites should also be able to dial the unique H.323 Name to establish a call. This alias is resolved by the campus Gatekeeper to the IP address of the endpoint. I can also be reached via I2 by adding a prefix to my E.164 address. |
 |
One last item: On the Directory
page, there is a check box for "Dial Using
H.323 Extension when Connected to a Gatekeeper."
Most firewalls will not allow your endpoint to register with the Polycom GAB as shown here. UNcheck the Register box if you receive an error. I have not found a way around this. |
Polycom
Viewstation-FX |
Software Version
5.1 FX shown here |
| |
|
Viewstation General
Setup screen. These screen shots are from the
Web interface.
The Viewstation-FX
allows for differing System Name,
Host Name, and H.323
Name (alias). On these screens I have
made them all slightly different for demonstration
purposes, but in practice I think you would make
them all the same, don't you?
The Viewstation System
Name is set from this screen. I don't
yet know why they make a distinction between the
System Name and Host Name. If for nothing else,
the System Name appears at the top of each screen... |
 |
H.323 Setup page.
The cASe-seNSItive H.323 Name
(alias) shown here is different than the System
Name (above) and Host Name seen
below. |
The H.323 Extension is the E.164 ID number unique to a particular endpoint. Within the CENIC dialling plan SLO's dialling prefix is 215000xxxx, where xxxx is a number selected by the campus (me) to be unique to a particular endpoint. In the endpoint shown here, I have chosen '1063.' Therefore, the CENIC dialling string for this endpoint is 2150001063. (subject to change)
Therefore, far-end sites should be able to dial either sloroom25b or 2150001063 to establish a call to this endpoint. This alias is resolved by the Gatekeeper to the current IP address of the endpoint. |
 |
On the Viewstations,
the Host Name is the name which
will be displayed on the far-end site's monitor(s)
to identify your site, as well as the name added
to address books.
The Viewstation Host Name
is not the dialing Alias. That's
what the H.323 Name is for (below). |
|
Again, either the
H.323 Name or the H.323
Extension could be used to dial this
system.
Remember, the H.323 Name
is case sensitive when used for dialling, so to
make it easier on folks should we use all lower
case? I may not, just to be ornery...
The other items are used to configure
an IP>ISDN Gateway.
PLEASE
DO NOT test dial this system
without checking with me first! |
Tandberg
880
The Config screens for 6000's are similar. |
Software Version E2.2 shown here |
Revised 12 April 2004.
Note:
On Tandberg systems the System Name is not the H.323 Alias.
H.323 Alias required by the Gatekeeper must be
configured via Telnet session. |
 |
Screen shots from
the Web interface.
Config > Settings > Utilities
screen.
System Name here,
as with the Viewstation, is only the name displayed
on the far-end's monitor(s).
You must also configure an H.323
Alias via Telnet session (see below).
|
 |
Config > Networks
> H.323 Settings screen.
Note: 'E.164 Alias'
on the Tandberg is equivalent to the 'H.323 Extension'
on the Viewstation. This is where your CENIC numeric
address goes.
The term 'Alias' is poor usage
here, as the Tandberg will not allow an alphabetic
alias name in this field. (Ops version E2.2. I believe this has been changed in later versions)
H.323 Prefix is a Tandberg address
book config not related to Gatekeeper setup.
|
 |
The
Tandberg Web client and hand held remote allows
for entry of the 10-digit CENIC dialling address
as shown above, but not the required
H.323 Alias. The H.323 Alias
must be configured from a Telnet session as shown
for this room system. In this case, the *P prompt
is feedback from my CODEC, showing me my existing
configurations for both.
The simple command to set this
Alias was:
h323alias id CalPoly124
In this example, I have entered
a space between Cal and Poly for the System Name,
configured on the Utilities page, to differentiate
it from the ID/Alias.
Call me if you need assistance.
(805)756-7197 |
| |
|
|
|
