Table Of Contents

Working with the Control Conference Interface

Conference Control Interface Basics for the Cisco Unified Videoconferencing 3500 MCU

Accessing the Conference Control Interface

Refreshing the Conference Control Interface

Viewing Online Help from the Conference Control Interface

Controlling Conference Settings

Becoming a Moderator and Stopping Moderation

Creating Conferences from the Conference Control Interface

Inviting an Operator to a Conference

Configuring T.120 Data Collaboration

Configuring Participant Settings

Muting and Unmuting Participant Audio Connections

Muting or Enabling Remote Speakers

Reconnecting Participants

Blocking Conference Admission

Deleting Conference Participants

Changing the Volume

Changing Participant Views

Configuring Sub-Conferences

Blocking the Video Stream

Changing a Participant Name

Changing Video Quality Classification

Viewing Participant Call Information

Configuring Outgoing Bandwidth Settings

Viewing Conference Statistics

Using Advanced Invitation Settings

Using Quick Invites to Invite Conference Participants

Inviting Participants Using Advanced Settings

Cascading Conferences

Inviting Participants to a Cascaded Conference

Viewing Participants in a Cascaded Conference

Defining Conference Views

Enabling or Disabling Dynamic Layouts

Changing Conference Layouts

Displaying Participant Names in Frames

Enabling or Disabling Auto-Switch Mode

Terminating Conferences

Signing Out of a Conference

Working with the Control Conference Interface

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This section describes the following topics:

•Conference Control Interface Basics for the Cisco Unified Videoconferencing 3500 MCU

•Controlling Conference Settings

•Configuring Participant Settings

•Viewing Conference Statistics

•Using Advanced Invitation Settings

•Cascading Conferences

•Defining Conference Views

•Terminating Conferences

•Signing Out of a Conference

Conference Control Interface Basics for the Cisco Unified Videoconferencing 3500 MCU

The following sections describe the tasks that users with appropriate access levels can perform in the Conference Control interface:

•Accessing the Conference Control Interface

•Refreshing the Conference Control Interface

•Viewing Online Help from the Conference Control Interface

•Controlling Conference Settings

•Creating Conferences from the Conference Control Interface

•Inviting an Operator to a Conference

•Configuring T.120 Data Collaboration

Accessing the Conference Control Interface

You can access the Conference Control interface from any Java-enabled web browser.

Procedure

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Step 1 Access the MCU interface.

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Note The Conference Control interface is best viewed in full screen mode (1024 x 768 fps).

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Step 2 Click Enter a conference.

The MCU Conference Control access window appears.

Step 3 Choose one of the following two methods.

•To access an existing conference:

•In the Conference ID field, enter the conference ID.

•In the Conference PIN field, enter the PIN, if applicable.

•Click Go.

-or-

•To create a new conference:

•Click Create Conference.

•The Create Conference window appears.

•Choose a service prefix from the list of pre-configured services.

•In the Unique Number field, enter a unique number for the conference.

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Note You cannot use a number already in use by another conference.

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•Click Create.

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Refreshing the Conference Control Interface

By default, the Conference Control interface refreshes itself every 10 seconds to provide updated information. To refresh information instantly, click the tab in the interface that you are viewing. You can configure the refresh interval by using the Conference control Web refresh interval advanced command.

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Note Do not click Refresh in your web browser. This closes the Conference Control interface and returns you to the access window.

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For Microsoft Windows systems, if you have enabled the Start Navigation sound, and a continuous clicking sound is heard when the Conference Control interface automatically refreshes, disable this setting in the Sounds and Multimedia section of the Control Panel.

Viewing Online Help from the Conference Control Interface

You can view help information for a selected tab in the Conference Control interface.

Procedure

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Step 1 In the Conference Control interface, click the tab you want to view help information for:

•Participant List

•Statistics

•Advanced Invitation.

Step 2 Click Help.

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Controlling Conference Settings

With Moderator-level access, for conferences already in progress, you can control conference activity and initiate events such as inviting participants. When you are a Moderator, you can edit participant connections, create new conferences, and audio sub-conferences, and change video layout and the position of participant images. You can block conference admission, block audio and video streams, and terminate the conference. You can split the existing conference and transfer some participants to the new conference. Moderator-level access also provides additional viewing and configuration options in the Conference Control interface.

The following sections describe the tasks that users with appropriate access levels can perform to control conference activities in the Conference Control interface:

•Becoming a Moderator and Stopping Moderation

•Creating Conferences from the Conference Control Interface

•Inviting an Operator to a Conference

•Configuring T.120 Data Collaboration

Becoming a Moderator and Stopping Moderation

Moderator access can be PIN-protected. Administrators and Operators can jointly be Moderators simultaneously.

Procedure

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Step 1 In the Conference Control interface, click Become Moderator to take control of that conference.

Step 2 A dialog box requesting a PIN might appear if Moderator access is PIN-protected. Enter the PIN.

Step 3 To release control of the conference, click Stop Moderation.

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Creating Conferences from the Conference Control Interface

Moderators, Operators, and Administrators can create a new conference from the Conference Control interface.

Procedure

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Step 1 In the Conference Control interface, click Create Conference.

Step 2 Follow the steps in the "Creating Conferences from the Create Conference Window" section on page 2-4.

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Inviting an Operator to a Conference

Users with Moderator-level access can invite an Operator to join a conference to answer questions and provide support. An Administrator pre-configures the Operator number.

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Note If an Operator is not pre-configured by an Administrator, the call to the Operator does not connect.

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Procedure

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Step 1 Access the Conference Control interface.

Step 2 Click Operator.

The Operator appears in the Participant List.

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Configuring T.120 Data Collaboration

From the Conference Control interface, users with Moderator-level access can open a T.120 data sharing session in Microsoft NetMeeting or join a session if one already exists for the conference. T.120 data collaboration over the video conference connection enhances the conference by providing data-sharing tools. Participants in a T.120 data collaboration video conference can simultaneously view diagrams, graphic presentations, and slide lectures. In addition, private text chats, white board exchanges, or rapid file transfers can occur while the video conference proceeds.

Users with Moderator-level access can set up a T.120 data conference in the Conference Control interface.

Procedure

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Step 1 Access the Conference Control interface.

Step 2 Click Join Data Conference.

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Configuring Participant Settings

The Participant List tab in the Conference Control interface contains the following sections:

•Participant List section, which displays information about conference participants. Users with Moderator-level access can view and edit media connections for each participant. Table 3-1 describes the information that appears in the Participants List section.

•Conference Views section, which displays information about the conference layout and view.

Table 3-1 lists the elements that appear in the Participants List section.

Table 3-1 Participants List Section Columns 

Numbered Label	Column	Description
41	Status	Displays status icons for the connection status of each conference participant. •Disconnected participants remain in the Participant List for the duration of the conference, enabling you to reconnect participants without sending repeat invitations. •You can rearrange the list of participants in the Participant List by clicking the icon in the title of this column. •Icon indicates that the MCU invited the specified participant.
40	Name	The name of the conference participant.
38	Number	The participant's endpoint number.
37	Change Participant View	Indicates the conference view that appears to the participant. When the conference is configured with more than one view, you can choose available views from a list.
36	Audio In	•Indicates whether the voice of the selected participant is muted or enabled. •The current speaker indication icon that indicates that the specified participant is currently the active speaker.
35	Audio Out	Indicates whether the conference audio connection is muted or enabled.
34	Video Display	Indicates whether the conference video display sent to the participant is blocked or unblocked. If the icon contains a star, then QualiVision is enabled for the video stream from the MCU to the participant.
33	Video Image	Indicates whether the video stream that the participant is sending to the conference is blocked or unblocked.
32	Data Sharing	Indicates that the participant supports T.120 data sharing.

The following sections describe the tasks that users with appropriate access level can perform in the Participant List tab:

•Muting and Unmuting Participant Audio Connections

•Reconnecting Participants

•Blocking Conference Admission

•Deleting Conference Participants

•Changing the Volume

•Changing Participant Views

•Configuring Sub-Conferences

•Blocking the Video Stream

•Changing a Participant Name

•Changing Video Quality Classification

•Viewing Participant Call Information

•Configuring Outgoing Bandwidth Settings

Muting and Unmuting Participant Audio Connections

In the Participant List tab, users with Moderator-level access can mute or enable the audio connection to the conference of all participants in the conference.

Procedure

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Step 1 Access the Conference Control interface.

Step 2 On the control bar, click Mute to mute all participants or Unmute to enable the audio connection for all participants.

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Users with Moderator-level access can also mute or enable the audio connection of an individual participant in a conference.

Procedure

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Step 1 In the Participants List section, select a participant.

Step 2 Right click and select Mute mic from the pop-up.

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Muting or Enabling Remote Speakers

Users with Moderator-level access can mute or enable the remote speakers for the conference.

Procedure

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Step 1 In the Participants List section, select a participant.

Step 2 Right click and select Mute speaker from the pop-up.

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Reconnecting Participants

If participants are disconnected from a conference, users with Moderator-level access can reconnect them in the Participant List tab.

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Note When the Enable auto-reconnect option is configured in the conference service, then the MCU automatically calls disconnected terminals to attempt a reconnection.

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Procedure

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Step 1 Access the Participant List tab.

Step 2 Click Disconnect to attempt a reconnection.

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Blocking Conference Admission

Users with Moderator-level access can block the admission of additional participants in a conference in the Conference Control interface.

Procedure

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Step 1 Access the control bar.

Step 2 Click Conference Admission.

No further participants can join the conference. To readmit participants, click Conference Admission again.

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Deleting Conference Participants

In the Participant List tab, users with Moderator-level access can remove participants from conferences.

Procedure

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Step 1 In the Participants List section, click the participant you want to remove.

Step 2 On the control bar, click Delete Participant.

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Step 3 In the Participants List section, select a participant.

Step 4 Right click and select View participant info from the pop-up.

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Changing the Volume

In the Conference Control interface, users with Moderator-level access can control the volume of participating endpoints (manual gain control) in a conference. For a regular conference, your setting only affects the location that is connected to a specific MCU port. In a cascaded conference, changing this setting affects all remote participants on other MCUs. Once you change this setting, the new setting remains in effect until that endpoint leaves the MCU.

Procedure

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Step 1 In the Participant List tab, select the participant whose volume you want to change.

Step 2 Right click and select Change volume from the pop-up.

Step 3 The gain control scroll bar dialog box appears, with a gain span of -5 to +5.

Step 4 Drag the scroll bar to the right to increase the gain; drag the slide bar to the left to decrease the gain.

Step 5 Close the gain control slide bar dialog box.

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Changing Participant Views

In the Participant List tab, if a conference supports multiple views, users with Moderator-level access can change the conference view layout for an individual conference participant or all conference participants while the conference is in progress.

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Note Multiple view are not available to high definition participants. High definition participants can only see the main participant layout.

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Procedure

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Step 1 If you wish to change the conference view for specific conference participants only, select those participant(s) in the Participant List table.

Step 2 Click Change Participants View.

Step 3 Select Selected Participants to change the conference view layout for the conference participants you selected in Step 1,

-or-

Select All to change the conference view layout for all conference participants.

Step 4 Click OK.

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Configuring Sub-Conferences

In the Participant List tab, users with Moderator-level access can create a sub-conference within a conference. The MCU supports audio sub-conferences to which the Moderator can divert selected participants in the existing conference to a private audio sub-conference session. The connection to the main conference remains active.

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Note The MCU can support up to three sub-conferences per conference according to the service configuration.

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The MCU hides sub-conference session participants from the other participants in the video layout. They can return to the conference at any time and reoccupy any previously held positions in the main conference video display. While in a sub-conference, participants can continue viewing and hearing the main conference.

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Note This option is available only when a conference is configured to support sub-conferences

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Procedure

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Step 1 In the Participant List tab, select the required participant.

Step 2 Right click and select Move to sub-conference from the pop-up.

The Select sub-conference dialog box appears.

Step 3 From the list, select the required sub-conference.

Step 4 Click Ok.

A new Sub-conf column appears in the Participant List with a list of all available sub-conferences for that participant.

Step 5 In the Sub-conf column, select a sub-conference for that participant.

Step 6 To return the participant to the main conference, in the Sub-conf list, select Main.

When all participants return to the main conference and none remain in the sub-conference, the Sub-conf column disappears from the Participant List.

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Blocking the Video Stream

In the Participant List tab, users with Moderator-level access can block the video stream sent by a participant to a conference. For example, a participant video connection might affect conference processing and degrade performance. You can block the participant's video until problems at the participant's endpoint are resolved.

Procedure

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Step 1 In the Participant List tab, select the participant that you want to block.

Step 2 Right click and select Block camera from the pop-up

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Click Video Image.

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Changing a Participant Name

In the Participant List tab, users with Moderator-level access can change the name of conference participants.

Procedure

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Step 1 In the Participant List tab, select the participant whose name you want to change.

Step 2 Right click and select Change Name from the pop-up.

The Change Name dialog box appears.

Step 3 In the Change name field, enter the new name.

Step 4 Click OK.

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Changing Video Quality Classification

In the Participant List tab, users with Moderator-level access can change the video quality classification associated with a conference participant.

Procedure

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Step 1 In the Participant List tab, select the required participant.

Step 2 Right click and select Change classification from the pop-up see pop-up.

The Video Quality Classification dialog box appears.

Step 3 In the Change to class field, select the new video quality classification.

Step 4 Click OK.

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Viewing Participant Call Information

Users with Moderator-level access, can view a comprehensive set of participant call statistical information.

Procedure

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Step 1 In the Participant List tab, select the required participant.

Step 2 Right click and select View participant info from the pop-up see pop-up.

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Step 3 Click the information icon in the Participants List section for the selected participant.

The Call Information dialog box for the specified participant appears.

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Table 3-2 lists the statistics displayed.

Table 3-2 Participant Information Statistics 

Group	Field	Description
Endpoint Information	Type	Participant endpoint type.
	IP address	Participant endpoint IP address.
	Description	Participant description (displays the endpoint vendor identifier, if available).
	Connect time	Time at which the participant connected to the conference.
Basic Call Information
Audio	Audio Codec	Audio codecs sent to and received by the participant.
	Audio rate	Total audio bandwidth sent and received by the participant.
	Audio Packets loss count	Total lost audio packets sent to and received by the participant.
	Audio Jitter (curr/min/max)	Accumulated audio packets sent to and received from the participant. Includes the current value and average values for the minimum and maximum number of packets sent to and received from the participant.
Video	Video codec	Video codecs sent to and received by the participant.
	Video resolution	Picture size of video sent and received by the participant.
	Video frame rate	Frame rate of video sent to and received by the participant.
	Video rate	Total video bandwidth sent and received by the participant.
	Video packets loss count	Total lost video packets sent to and received by the participant.
	Video jitter (curr/min/max)	Accumulated video packets sent to and received from the participant. Includes the current value and average values for the minimum and maximum number of packets sent to and received from the participant.
	2nd video codec	The second video codec sent to and received by the participant (if used).
Data	Data protocol	Indicates whether or not the protocol is used if the participant is participating in data sharing.
Advanced Call Information
Audio	Audio out of order packets count	Total audio packets sent to and received from the participant out of sequence.
	Audio packets count	Total audio packets sent and received by the participant.
	Audio bytes count	Total audio bytes sent and received by the participant.
	Audio IP address	IP address and port to which audio is sent to the participant.
Video	Video out of order packets count	Total video packets sent to and received from the participant out of sequence.
	Video fast update requests count	Total Video Fast Update (VFU) requests sent and received by the participant.
	Video packets count	Total video packets sent and received by the participant.
	Video bytes count	Total video packets sent and received by the participant.
	Video IP address	IP address and port to which video is sent to the participant.
	Qualivision state	Encryption level used.
Data	Data IP address (Local/Remote)	IP address of the participant data sharing terminal.
	FECC	Indicates whether or not Far End Camera Control is in use.

Configuring Outgoing Bandwidth Settings

Users with Moderator-level access can also configure the bandwidth rate at which they invite other participants to the conference.

Procedure

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Step 1 In the Participant List tab

•Enter the name of the participant being invited in the Invite field.

•Select the required bandwidth in the Rate(Kbps) field.

•Click Invite.

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Step 2 In the Advanced Invitation tab,

•Enter the name of the participant being invited in the Invite field.

•Select the required bandwidth in the Kbps field.

•Click Invite.

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Viewing Conference Statistics

Users with Moderator-level access, can view a comprehensive set of statistical information in the Statistics tab. Statistics frequently update automatically and enable you to monitor conference performance.

Procedure

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Step 1 In the Participants List section, click Statistics to view conference statistics.

Step 2 Click Update to refresh the information displayed.

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Using Advanced Invitation Settings

The following sections describe the tasks that users with appropriate access level can perform in the Advanced Invitation tab:

•Using Quick Invites to Invite Conference Participants

•Inviting Participants Using Advanced Settings

Using Quick Invites to Invite Conference Participants

In the Participant List tab of the Conference Control interface, all users can use the quick invite feature to send an invitation to participate in a conference.

Procedure

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Step 1 In the Invite # field, enter the participant number you want to invite. You can invite multiple participants by separating them with the invite sign (**).

Step 2 (Optional) You can select a bandwidth rate lower than the current conference rate at which the invited participant joins the conference. You can thus invite individual participants with lower connection capabilities. In the Rate(kbps) field, choose a new bandwidth rate.

Step 3 Click Invite.

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Related Topics

•Inviting Participants Using Advanced Settings

Inviting Participants Using Advanced Settings

All users can invite multiple participants into a conference at the same time in the Advanced Invitation tab of the Conference Control interface. As each invite field can accommodate multiple participant numbers with separators, you can use this tab to invite a large number of participants at the same time. All users can also select a lower bandwidth rate with which to connect individual participants.

In the Advanced Invitation tab, all users can also drag and drop participant images into preferred positions in the layout of each conference view that the conference supports. All users can also set the layout which invited participants see when joining a conference.

In a cascaded conference, all users can choose which MCU actually invites the participant.

Procedure

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Step 1 In the Conference Control interface, click Advanced Invitation.

Step 2 In the first Invite # field, enter the participant contact numbers. You can enter multiple numbers separated by the invite sign (**).

Step 3 In the Display Name field, enter the name you want to appear when the participant enters the conference.

Step 4 In the Kbps field, choose the bit rate that the MCU uses when inviting a participant to a conference. Choose default for optimal bit rate performance.

Step 5 In the MCU field, choose a cascaded MCU conference to which invited participants connect.

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Note This step is only for cascaded conferences.

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Step 6 (Optional) To configure advanced features, follow these additional steps;

Additional control features appear in the Advanced Invitation tab.

•In the Participant Layout area click Change.

A dialog box appears displaying a list of the current layouts available in the current conference.

•Drag and drop the Voice activated frame button into the preferred position in the Layout display frame that appears in the Conference View section.

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Note You can set a position for the participant image in all layouts that the conference currently supports.

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•At the end of each participant row, choose from the list the number of the conference video layout you want to display to the participant upon entry into the conference. Choose L to display the local view of a slave conference.

A slave conference on an EMP-enabled MCU has two views:

•The local (slave MCU conference) CP view

•The view that the master MCU broadcasts.

An Operator of the slave conference should be able to switch the view for each participant in the slave conference so that the participant can see the view broadcast by the master or the local view. This feature is useful in large cascaded conferences where each site has a local operator. Most participants at the local site see the view broadcast by the master MCU, but the local operator can see the local view of local participants.

You can enable a local view of a slave conference in the Edit View dialog box.

Step 7 Repeat step 1 to step 6 for each Invite # field until you configure all required the participant invites.

Step 8 Click Invite to send the invitations.

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Related Topics

•Using Quick Invites to Invite Conference Participants

Cascading Conferences

Users with Moderator-level access can increase MCU call capacity by cascading MCUs. This option supports the bridging of several separate conferences to create very large conferences through IP connections (H.323 and SIP) and also through ISDN/PSTN connections (H.320) when operating in conjunction with a gateway.

In the Conference Control interface, cascading a conference works the same way as inviting a single participant into an existing conference. Once you create a cascaded conference, you can use the MCU to set the conference to which invited participants are connected, providing precision control of resources. In a cascaded conference, you can view participants in a tree view that displays each participant according to the conference to which each is connected.

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Note If a failure occurs in a cascaded conference, local MCU users can see this status in the Create Conference window or Conference Control interface. This status, however, only appears if it was the local EMP or MCU that was lost. If the EMP of a slave MCU is lost, then the user of the master MCU can view which participants are without audio/video in the Participant List tab. If the EMP of the master MCU is lost, then slave MCUs do not receive any indication that there has been a failure.

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Procedure

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Step 1 Access the Participant List tab.

Step 2 Invite another conference on the host MCU or on another MCU by entering the number in the Invite # field and clicking Dial.

The invited conference and connected participants appear in the host conference participant list in the Participant List tab.

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Inviting Participants to a Cascaded Conference

All users can invite participants to a cascaded conference in the Advanced Invitation tab of the Conference Control interface.

Procedure

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Step 1 In the Conference Control interface, click Advanced Invitation.

Step 2 In the MCU column, choose the conference to which the invited participant connects upon acceptance of the conference invite.

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Viewing Participants in a Cascaded Conference

In the Conference Control interface, you can view participants in a cascaded conference in a hierarchical display in one of the following two ways:

•Normal View—All conference participants appear in a single list. Cascaded participants appear without any indication of the cascaded MCU connection.

•Tree View—Conference participants appear in an expandable tree view showing cascaded MCU connections to the conference. Click the plus sign (+) next to the name of the cascaded MCU to expand the tree showing cascaded conference participant details.

Procedure

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Step 1 Access the Participant List tab.

Step 2 Click Normal View to display cascaded conference participants in a single list.

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Defining Conference Views

The following sections describe the tasks that users with appropriate access level can perform in the Conference View section:

•Enabling or Disabling Dynamic Layouts

•Changing Conference Layouts

•Displaying Participant Names in Frames

•Enabling or Disabling Auto-Switch Mode

Enabling or Disabling Dynamic Layouts

Users with Moderator-level access can enable or disable dynamic layouts for a conference. A dynamic layout seamlessly switches the conference video image between a wide range of layouts to correspond with the number of participants in attendance at any given time during the conference. The video image switches to a layout with frames equal to the number of participant images, to a maximum of 16. The layout changes accordingly as participants join or leave a conference.

A dynamic layout conserves bandwidth, eliminates the display of empty frames in the video image, and makes optimum use of the video image for displaying participant images. This type of layout switching is suitable for a conference with a high rate of participant traffic joining and leaving the conference or an adaptive service used for a variety of conference sizes.

Procedure

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Step 1 Access the Conference View section of the Participant List tab.

Step 2 Click Change.

A pop-up appears, displaying a list of currently available layouts for the current conference.

Step 3 Click Dynamic Layout to enable (if not selected) or disable (if already selected) dynamic layout for this conference.

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Changing Conference Layouts

In the Conference View section, users with Moderator-level access can change the layout for the current conference.

Procedure

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Step 1 In the Conference View section of the Participant List tab, click Change.

A pop-up appears, displaying a list of currently available layouts for the current conference.

Step 2 Click a layout.

The conference adjusts to the new selection.

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Displaying Participant Names in Frames

In the Conference View section, users with Moderator-level access can choose to display the name of endpoints or participants in specific positions of the video layout frame.

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Note This feature is visible only when you configure text overlay in the service.

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Procedure

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Step 1 Access the Conference View section of the Participant List tab.

Step 2 Click Display participant names in frame.

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Enabling or Disabling Auto-Switch Mode

In the Conference View section, users with Moderator-level access can enable the auto-switch mode for a conference. The auto-switch mode displays all the participants of a large conference in Continuous Presence (CP) mode display in the video layout on a rotating basis. Participant images can be replaced at preset intervals.

Procedure

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Step 1 Access the Conference View section of the Participant List tab.

Step 2 Click Auto-switch to enable (if not already selected) or disable (if already selected) auto-switch mode.

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Terminating Conferences

In the Conference Control interface, users with Moderator-level access can terminate a conference, which ends that conference and disconnects the participants.

Procedure

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Step 1 Access the control bar.

Step 2 Click Terminate Conference.

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Signing Out of a Conference

When you finish configuring or viewing details of the current conference, you can sign out.

Procedure

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Step 1 Access the control bar.

Step 2 Click Sign out.

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