New - Fall 2011

ITS has implemented a Videoconferencing Gatekeeper that features a dial plan.  Once a videoconferencing unit is register with the Videoconferencing Gatekeeper, the dial plan provides a "video telephone number" to simplify the process of contacting registered video conferencing units. Registering your VCU also enables ITS to prioritize network traffic for static videoconferencing units.  This helps to help ensure quality audio and videoconferencing within the limits of the U of S campus network.

Register

To register your videoconferencing unit (VCU) with the University of Saskatchewan you will be required to complete a Videoconferencing Service Registration form

.

Requests will be processed in 2 business day.


Benefits of Registering

The current videoconferencing infrastructure includes a locally defined dialplan.  This dialplan functions much like a list of internal "telephone extensions", enabling registered units to call other registered units using a much shorter and more convenient "extension" phone number/dial string.

Registering with the Gatekeeper will enable campus VCUs with private addresses to reach off-campus destinations, and permit external units to videoconference with local units assigned private ip addresses.

Future expansion plans for the Gatekeeper and videoconferencing include:

• Expanded dialplan services to include external sites which have similar videoconferencing infrastructure.
• Support for the SIP protocol in addition to H.323 portcols for videoconferencing.
• Support for videoconferencing over ip V6, assuming there is IPv6 connectivity between the units involved.
• Addition of a Telepresence management server and an associated investigation into its use in standardizing configurations on local endpoints and managing software updates.
• Use of a Telepresence management server for creation of pre-arranged conferences using the campus videoconferencing bridge (mcu.usask.ca).

FAQ's

How do i register a videoconferencing unit with the U of S videoconferencing gatekeeper?

To register your videoconferencing unit (VCU) with the University of Saskatchewan you will be required to complete a Videoconferencing Service Registration form

.

I dialed a video phone number in the past but now it won't work.

There could be several reasons why you can not reach a far end VCU using a previously successfull video phone number:

• VCU on the far end is not powered up
• The local and/or far end VCU is not connected to network
• The local VCU is not registered with U of S gatekeeper or has been removed
• The far end VCU video phone number has changed

Please contact ITS Help Desk, by e-mail to help.desk@usask.ca, or by phoning 966-4817 for assistance. For in-classroom or in-meeting-room assisitance, please contact eMAP at 966-4263 to have a technician dispatched.

I have a mobile videoconferencing unit, why can the network traffic not be prioritized?

Today network services can provide priority to videoconferencing traffic by manually configuring the network port that the videoconferencing unit is connected to.  Network services does not currently have the ability to dynamically identify when network traffic on a particular data port is videoconferencing traffic.

How long will the videoconferencing unit remain registered for?

The videoconferencing unit will remain  registered to the U of S videoconferencing gatekeeper indefinately or at such a time that a request be sent to network services to remove the VCU from the gatekeeper. However, if a VCU is disconnected from the network for a period of 18 months, the VCU will be deactivated from the university network, at which point the VCU will need to be re-registered with the network.

Please contact ITS Help Desk, by e-mail to help.desk@usask.ca, or by phoning 966-4817 for assistance.