IBM Global Services




Video Infrastructure
September 2007


     Current status and
     Recommendations




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  IBM Global Services




Overview

  Introductions
  What new equipment was installed
  Security and Access Control
  Maximum Capabilities
  E.164 Alias
  Futures
  Best Practices for support
  Best Practices for operation
  Troubleshooting



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Introduction

  Ed Schermerhorn
  – Subject Matter Expert on real-time visual communications
   • Technology
   • Support Practices
  – 9 years in VC industry
   • Many years before as an “A/V” hobbyist
  – Consulted with many large and small corporations, and
   educational institutions
  – Most unique video communications experience:
   • Resolute Bay, Canada connecting with a school in Toronto




                                  © 2007 IBM Corporation
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What equipment was installed?

  Tandberg MPS 800
  Tandberg Gatekeeper
  Tandberg Border Controller
  New Endpoints
  TMS Appliance (Procured through different
  vendor)




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Graphic of network




                  © 2007 IBM Corporation
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Tandberg MPS 800

  MPS = Media Processing System
  – A Multipoint Conferencing Unit (MCU)
  – “Video Bridge’
  At School 89
  Has 8 Media Blades
  – Each with a separate Ethernet connection for conferencing
  – Each capable of supporting 20 endpoints in Voice-Switched
   conference (plan on 16 per blade for full functionality)
  Also functions as an ISDN-IP Gateway
  – H.320 to H.323




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Tandberg Gatekeeper

  Call Control
  – Bandwidth allocation
  “The PBX” of the video environment
  – Converts video numbers into an IP address
  Installed at School 89
  All endpoints and video devices should register to it




                              © 2007 IBM Corporation
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Tandberg Border Controller

  Firewall Traversal Device
  – Uses only 6 ports opened outbound
   •   1719 UDP
   •   1720 TCP
   •   2776 UDP and TCP
   •   2777 UDP and TCP
  – Responds to a small “keep alive” packet from Gatekeeper
  – Allows for simplified connections to endpoints outside BSD
  Installed at City Hall, 8th Floor computer Room
  Compliant with H.460.18 standard




                               © 2007 IBM Corporation
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Tandberg TMS appliance

  TMS = Tandberg Management Suite
  An appliance using a stripped version of Microsoft Windows
  2003 Server
  – Log on using network credentials
  Has a SQL database to store call records and endpoint data
  Single point of management for all devices
  Configuration control for all devices
  Scheduling and Reporting
  Licensed for specific number of devices (100 max)




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Security and Access Control

  Do NOT use standard Windows updates for TMS appliance
  – Tandberg releases patches on their website
  TMS access
  – 2 “Administrators”
  – Use other categories for other users
  Endpoints
  – Menu password
  – IP password
  Call Encryption
  – Requires constant bandwidth
  – Recommended only for sensitive conversations




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Maximum Capabilities

  Total number of endpoints connected to MPS=
  – 120
  Total number of endpoints that can register to
  Gatekeeper =
  – 125, with 25 concurrent calls
  Maximum number of current firewall traversal
  calls =
  –5



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E.164 Alias

  Video number
  Easier to remember than IP address
  Recommend 5 digits for BSD
  – Need to identify 3 digit reference for district offices?



  1st Digit      2nd Digit  3rd Digit   4th Digit   5th Digit
  Number not First digit      Second     Third digit  System
  used in  of school       digit of    of school   identifier
  phone   number        school     number    (mobile,
  extensions
             (or ‘0’)  number            fixed,
                                 desktop,
  (currently
  using ‘4’)                          etc.)

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Futures

  Resiliency should be built into VC infrastructure
  – Multiple single points of failure
  Desktop / Small Appliance
  – Home bound student
  – Emergency communication
  Streaming and Archiving
  Fieldview
  – Remote view outside of a conference room



                         © 2007 IBM Corporation
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Overview

  Introductions
  What new equipment was installed
  Security and Access Control
  Maximum Capabilities
  E.164 Alias
  Futures
  Best Practices for support
  Best Practices for operation
  Troubleshooting



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History of VC support

  Labor intensive
  Problematic
  Generally provided by Audio / Video support
  organization




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Impacts of IP Convergence

  Videoconferencing can not remain an island
  Close integration with Data Network
  Need strategy to address:
  – QoS
  – Bandwidth Management
  – E164 Alias convention (more later)
  – Streaming and casting
  VC support model more like Telephony and Data
  – Commodity Based




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Issues of Scale

  Scheduling strategy
  Call initiation strategy
  Problem resolution strategy
  Usage drivers
  Technology decision ownership
  Service oversight
  Skilled support organization



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Scheduling

  Reservation of resources
  – Endpoint and infrastructure
  – Reporting
  Linked to call initiation software?
  Awareness of system availability
  Balance of ad hoc vs. scheduled




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Call initiation

   Directory
   – Naming convention
   – E164 convention
   – Maintain accuracy and completeness
   In-room support
   Automatic initiation
   End user initiation



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Problem Isolation

  Preventive maintenance / health check
  Local vs. Central helpdesk
  Division of responsibility & Allocation of
  resources
  Tower vs. Tier support model pitfalls




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Usage Drivers

  Goals for system usage
  – Objectives
  – Costs Savings
  Track usage and trends
  End user instruction on features of equipment to
  enhance experience




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Technology Ownership

  Strategy for infrastructure
  – Gatekeeper
  – Gateway
  – MCU (Multi-point Conferencing Unit)
  Streaming and casting
  – Data Storage
  Emerging Technologies
  – Internet (Firewall traversal)
  – Mobile (3G)
  Room layout and equipment suit recommendations
  – Homogeneous vs. Heterogeneous
  Funding




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Services Oversight

  End user satisfaction
  Future feature solicitation
  Cooperation with technology ownership




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Skilled Support Organization

  Knowledgeable of user’s environment
  Familiar with end user interfaces
  – Especially in heterogeneous environment
  Able to follow repeatable and proven trouble
  isolation steps
  Able to escalate equipment hardware and software
  flaws for manufacture resolution




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Tools needed for Enterprise Support

  Enterprise management software
  – Available from the top endpoint manufactures
  – View of all “in scope” devices
  – Set enterprise standards
  – “Glue” that binds all of the pieces (infrastructure and endpoints)
   together
  – Reporting
  Test environment
  – Problem isolation
  – New feature testing



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Operational Best Practices Overview

  Scheduling tips
  Best method to add participants by telephone
  Other audio tips
  Camera tips
  Presentations




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Scheduling tips

  Book More time than you think you will need.
  – VC meetings (in some enterprises) often “run over”
   without impacting other teams
  Clearly indicate to all participants that it will be a
  video meeting
  Have a plan for those that are not able to be on
  video.




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Best Method to add Audio participants

  To allow all meeting participants to hear each
  other, the telephone participant should be added
  from the VC system, not a speaker phone in the
  room.
  – Local room participants would be able to hear all
   participants, but those on telephone and VC would
   not be able to hear each other.
  Connect any audio participants through TMS
  schedule



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Other Audio Tips

  Speak in a normal volume while facing the table or
  display.
  Avoid tapping on table or rustling papers on the
  conference table
  Keep cellular phones and Blackberries away from
  microphones
  – Don’t place on table
  – Causes stutter audio tone that is heard at remote
   locations, not in the local room



                             © 2007 IBM Corporation
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Camera Tips

  Close shades on any windows in meeting room
  – Will create only silhouettes of meeting participants
  Avoid red colored clothing
  Avoid busy prints on clothing
  Face the camera when speaking




                               © 2007 IBM Corporation
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General Videoconference operations

  A message will appear on screen twice before end
  of meeting if scheduled through TMS
  – 5 minutes
  – 1 minute
  – If the system is not booked for another meeting, you will
   have an option to extend the meeting




                             © 2007 IBM Corporation
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Presentations

  Can be sent directly from laptop through VC
  system
  Avoid busy backgrounds
  Limit animation and builds in Powerpoint
  Presentations
  Use high contrast between background and text




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Thank you for your time



     We look forward to
     helping you!




     Video Overview for BSD  © 2007 IBM Corporation