Table Of Contents
Introducing Cisco MeetingPlace Video Integration Release 5.3
Audience
Scope
Naming Conventions Used in This Guide
Overview of Cisco MeetingPlace Video Integration
Features and Benefits of Cisco MeetingPlace Video Integration
Additional References
Introducing Cisco MeetingPlace Video Integration Release 5.3
Administrator's Guide for Cisco MeetingPlace Video Integration Release 5.3 describes Cisco MeetingPlace Video Integration.
This chapter contains the following topics:
•
Audience
•Scope
•Naming Conventions Used in This Guide
•Overview of Cisco MeetingPlace Video Integration
•Features and Benefits of Cisco MeetingPlace Video Integration
•Additional References
Audience
This guide is intended for Cisco MeetingPlace system administrators who are familiar with the following products, which are prerequisites for Cisco MeetingPlace Video Integration:
•Cisco MeetingPlace 8100 Series servers and the Cisco MeetingPlace MeetingTime software application
•Cisco MeetingPlace Web Conferencing
•Other Cisco MeetingPlace integration products that are part of the Cisco MeetingPlace system
•Cisco CallManager (if your environment includes this product)
•Cisco IPVC MCU 3.5plus and its required components
Scope
This guide describes how to install, configure, manage, and troubleshoot the Cisco MeetingPlace Video Integration. This guide does not describe in detail how to set up Cisco MeetingPlace audio and web conferencing, nor does it describe how to set up or configure the Cisco IPVC MCU or any of its components, including H.323 gatekeepers, video endpoints, or gateways. This guide also does not describe in detail how to configure Cisco CallManager. Cisco IPVC video conferencing, Cisco CallManager, and Cisco MeetingPlace audio and web-conferencing systems must be up and running before you install Cisco MeetingPlace Video Integration.
For information on any of the preceding systems, see the documents listed in Additional References.
Naming Conventions Used in This Guide
The following products and components appear frequently in this guide.
Official Name
|
Abbreviation
|
Cisco MeetingPlace 8100 Series server with Cisco MeetingPlace Audio Server Release 5.3 software
|
Cisco MeetingPlace audio server
|
Cisco MeetingPlace Web Conferencing Release 5.3
|
Cisco MeetingPlace Web Conferencing
|
Cisco MeetingPlace MeetingTime Release 5.3
|
MeetingTime
|
Cisco MeetingPlace for Lotus Notes Release 5.3
|
Cisco MeetingPlace for Lotus Notes
|
Cisco MeetingPlace for Outlook Release 5.3
|
Cisco MeetingPlace for Outlook
|
Cisco IPVC MCU 3.5plus
|
Cisco IPVC MCU
|
Overview of Cisco MeetingPlace Video Integration
Cisco MeetingPlace Video Integration is a separately-licensed add-on to Cisco MeetingPlace conferencing that integrates the voice and web-conferencing capabilities of Cisco MeetingPlace with the video-conferencing functionality provided by the Cisco IPVC Multipoint Control Unit (MCU). Voice, web, and video conference participants interact seamlessly in a single rich-media conference.
The visual channel of the video-conferencing medium is handled entirely by the Cisco IPVC MCU and runs parallel to the voice and web conference. All media (video, voice, and data) are linked but independent, so that each stream maintains its full feature set and functional richness.
The following steps provide a simplified overview of how the Cisco MeetingPlace Video Integration solution works (in a system that includes e-mail notifications):
1. You set up user profiles in Cisco MeetingPlace that control who can schedule video conferences.
2. Users whose profile authorizes them to schedule video conferences submit a single Cisco MeetingPlace form to schedule a meeting that includes video, voice, and web-conferencing functionality. Users can require passwords, or specify that only profiled or invited users can attend.
3. Cisco MeetingPlace keeps track of available conferencing resources, including resources available on the Cisco MeetingPlace audio server and video resources on the Cisco IPVC MCU. If there are sufficient resources on both systems to accommodate a scheduler's request, Cisco MeetingPlace schedules the meeting and sends notifications to the invitees. These notifications include the information participants need in order to access all conference media.
4. At the scheduled meeting time, invitees use the information in the meeting notification to join each aspect of the conference: the Cisco MeetingPlace web and voice conferences and the video conference hosted on the Cisco IPVC MCU. Video participants attend the video aspect of the conference via a room-based video system or via IP video cameras on their desktop, such as Cisco VT Advantage. Participants can join the different media using any of several methods.
5. Cisco MeetingPlace initiates the voice conference on the Cisco MeetingPlace system and the video conference on the Cisco IPVC MCU, and establishes the link that joins the audio of the video conference with the audio of the voice conference.
6. After participants are in the integrated conference, audio-only and video participants can converse seamlessly with each other. Video participants can control their audio and video transmission and display from within the Cisco MeetingPlace web-conferencing meeting room.
7. If the conference needs to continue past the time it was scheduled to end, Cisco MeetingPlace evaluates whether conferencing resources are available on both the Cisco MeetingPlace audio server and on the Cisco IPVC MCU, then determines whether the conference can be extended.
Video conferences can also be added to an existing Cisco MeetingPlace conference on an ad-hoc basis, if resources are available.
For details about the end user experience and process for using Cisco MeetingPlace Video Integration, see "Using Cisco MeetingPlace Video Conferencing" and "Cisco MeetingPlace Video Integration Components and Process."
Features and Benefits of Cisco MeetingPlace Video Integration
Cisco MeetingPlace Video Integration offers the following features:
•Enhances meeting effectiveness by bringing together multiple media to create a rich-media conferencing environment.
•Offers a solution that integrates readily into existing networks and IP infrastructure.
•Includes tools to manage video-conferencing resources for optimal availability.
•Simplifies the processes of scheduling, distributing notifications, attending, and participating in multiple media for end users.
•Leverages the existing video-conferencing capability of the Cisco IPVC MCU and networking and telephony infrastructure, such as Cisco CallManager, to provide a complete and unified multipoint conferencing solution for Cisco customers.
•Extends important resource management tools from Cisco MeetingPlace to the Cisco IPVC MCU, allowing you to plan, allocate, and measure resource use, and thus to maximize the utility of video-conferencing resources.
•Resource management features include the following:
–The ability to schedule video-conferencing resources in advance. Cisco MeetingPlace manages the scheduling of video-conferencing resources on the Cisco IPVC MCU, which does not have built-in scheduling functionality.
–Floater and overbook ports to optimize port availability and minimize waste of conference ports. This increases the availability of conference ports for ad-hoc video conferences.
–User profiles to limit use of conferencing resources to designated meeting schedulers and groups.
–Statistics on video usage that are included in standard Cisco MeetingPlace reports, so you can easily evaluate needs and manage all resources.
•Ease-of-use features that simplify the rich-media conferencing process for users include the following:
–Unified scheduling, which allows users to coordinate all conferencing resources from a single point. Scheduling is done through familiar desktop applications such as Microsoft Outlook, Lotus Notes, or a web browser.
–Notifications for each meeting that include the links and instructions to access all conference media for that meeting.
–Users can initiate or join a video conference on an ad-hoc basis, as long as video-conferencing resources are available.
–Preference information in user profiles, which automates parts of the attend process.
–Video controls in the Cisco MeetingPlace web-conferencing meeting room, which allow users to control all aspects of their conferencing experience from a single interface.
Additional References
Cisco MeetingPlace products
Guide to Cisco Conferencing Documentation and Support
http://www.cisco.com/univercd/cc/td/doc/product/conf/mtgplace/roadmap.htm
Cisco MeetingPlace Video Integration Release 5.3
http://www.cisco.com/univercd/cc/td/doc/product/conf/mtgplace/video/53/index.htm
Cisco MeetingPlace Audio Server Release 5.3
http://www.cisco.com/univercd/cc/td/doc/product/conf/mtgplace/audio/53/index.htm
Cisco MeetingPlace Web Conferencing Release 5.3
http://www.cisco.com/univercd/cc/td/doc/product/conf/mtgplace/web/53/index.htm
Cisco MeetingPlace H.323/SIP IP Gateway Release 5.2.1
http://www.cisco.com/univercd/cc/td/doc/product/conf/mtgplace/ipgw/ip521/index.htm
Cisco MeetingPlace for Outlook Release 5.3
http://www.cisco.com/univercd/cc/td/doc/product/conf/mtgplace/outlook/mpol53/index.htm
Cisco MeetingPlace for Lotus Notes Release 5.3
http://www.cisco.com/univercd/cc/td/doc/product/conf/mtgplace/notes/notes53/index.htm
Cisco IPVC products
All Cisco IPVC products and components
http://www.cisco.com/univercd/cc/td/doc/product/ipvc/index.htm
Cisco IOS H.323 Gatekeeper
Cisco IOS H.323 Configuration Guide
http://www.cisco.com/univercd/cc/td/doc/product/software/ios123/123cgcr/vvfax_c/callc_c/h323_c/323confg/5gkconf.htm
Or look for the link on the following page:
http://www.cisco.com/univercd/cc/td/doc/product/software/ios123/123cgcr/vcl.htm
Cisco CallManager
Release 4.1 documentation
http://www.cisco.com/univercd/cc/td/doc/product/voice/c_callmg/4_1/index.htm
Release 4.0 documentation
http://www.cisco.com/univercd/cc/td/doc/product/voice/c_callmg/4_0/index.htm
Cisco IP Video Telephony Solution Reference Network Design (SRND) for Cisco CallManager Release 4.0
http://www.cisco.com/application/pdf/en/us/guest/netsol/ns268/c649/ccmigration_09186a008026c609.pdf
Cisco VT Advantage
http://www.cisco.com/univercd/cc/td/doc/product/voice/c_ipphon/english/ipcvl/index.htm
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