A Videoconferencing Service for the German Network for Research and Education “DFN”

1. A Videoconferencing Service for the German Network for Research and Education “DFN” Internet2 - Member Meeting Spring 2004 Renate Schroeder - DFN Germany

2. Contents • DFN Association • DFNVideoConference (DFNVC) • Service Architecture • Service Model and Operational Model • Service Provision Components • Service Features and Advanced Features • Statistics • Further Plannings

3. DFN:Objectives Target Community: Higher Education and Research (universities, research institutions, industry, government agencies, schools) • Provision of national and internationalconnectivity by means of a leading edge infrastructure (G-WiN) • Bundling of community requirements • Set up of testbeds for next generation network technologies and promotion of new applications • Taking part in international collaborations • Not-for-profit organisation => operational costs must be fully covered by institutions

4. G-WiN Topology Rostock Core node 10 Gbit/s 2,4 Gbit/s 2,4 Gbit/s 622 Mbit/s as of December 2003 Kiel Hamburg Global Upstream Oldenburg Braunschweig Hannover Berlin Magdeburg Bielefeld Essen Göttingen Leipzig St. Augustin Dresden Marburg Ilmenau Aachen Würzburg Frankfurt GEANT Erlangen Heidelberg Karlsruhe Regensburg Augsburg Kaiserslautern Stuttgart Garching

6. DFNVC: Managed Video Conference Service • Increasing need for audio and video transfer with acceptable quality • Deployment of a videoconferencing service under ITU standard H.323 started in 2001 • Pilot service from Q1 2002 to Q1 2003 • Managed and charged DFN service since April 2003

7. DFNVC: Service Architecture Organisation with own zone (scenario 1) Organisation without own zone (scenario 3) User VC system User VC system GK VC Portal Organisation without own zone (scenario 2) ISDN User VC system MCU (s) User VC system DCS GW to ISDN users World GK Country GK DFN GK DFN zone

8. DFNVC: Service Model • Who may use the service? • Users in DFN member organisations and users in national/international partner organisations (guests) • How to use the service • Member organisations contract DFN and pay a flat charge to DFN according to the bandwidth of the DFNInternet connection

9. DFNVC: Operational Model • DFN - responsible for • Management of service components (MCU, Gateway, DCS, DFN-GK, Country-GK) • Setting up of a dial plan for the GK structure • Provision of the VC portal • Training courses for local administrators • Hotline, mailing lists • Participating Organisations - responsible for • Establishment of a technical administrator • Attendance in training courses • Choice of VC systems & operation of a gatekeeper • Training & First level support for their users

10. DFNVC: Service Provision Components (I) • Same equipment in two locations (Berlin and Stuttgart) • MCUs: • Premium Equipment: • per location 2 Radvision MCU-60/G.722 with TCM 30 Audio Transcoder Board -> 240 Ports • per location 2 Radvision MVP 30 Video Boards • Standard Equipment: • per location 1 Radvision MCU-100 -> 200 Ports • Gatekeeper, Gateways and DCS • per location 1 Gatekeeper Radvision ECS 2.0 • per location 1 Gatekeeper GNU-GK 2.0.2 • per location 1 Radvision Gateway gw-P20 • per location 1 Radvision Data Collaboration System

11. DFNVC: Service Features • The service : • > allows ad hoc conferences • > offers Dial-In for ISDN-based VC systems • > takes part in the Global Dialing Scheme • > supports preparation,initiation and management of conferences • provides test results and descriptions for VC systems • offers training coursesfor administrators and hotline

15. DFNVC: Service Features • The service : • allows ad hoc conferences • offers Dial-In for ISDN-based VC systems • takes part in the Global Dialing Scheme • supports preparation,initiation and management of conferences • > provides test results and descriptions for VC systems • offers training coursesfor administrators and hotline

16. DFNVC: Video Competence Center • VCC TU Dresden (Video Competence Center) • responsible for VC systems • ongoing tests of VC systems (new releases) • descriptions and instructions for installation and configuration for the most common VC systems • interoperability matrix of VC systems and other VC components

17. Compatibilityof VC Systems Quality: Good, reliable good, unreliable no function sufficient, reliable sufficient, unreliable unsufficient, reliable unsufficient, unreliable

18. DFNVC: Service Features • The service : • allows ad hoc conferences • offers Dial-In for ISDN-based VC systems • takes part in the Global Dialing Scheme • provides a VC portal • supports preparation,initiation and management of conferences • provides test results and descriptions for VC systems • > offers training coursesfor administrators and hotline

19. DFNVC: Advanced Services • Observing the quality of network (LAN and access lines): • Performance measurement on IP connection: • packet loss, one way delay, jitter • tests with a measurement system of the University of Erlangen • H.323 Beacon • tests with some organisations • Prioritisation of IP-adresses • tests with special organisations

20. Statistics • Participants in the production service • contracts signed with 159 organisations and institutes • ongoing negotiations with further organisations • nearly 50% with own gatekeeper • 17 training courses since April 2003 with 10-15 participants per course • Several hundreds of conferences per month

21. DFNVC: Further Plannings • Migration to E.164 / DNS / ENUM • Service administration via LDAP (H.350) • Locking VC portal against unauthorized users • Integration of new functions (e.g. SIP based signalisation, VoIP-structure) • Reservation system

22. Thank You !

23. DFNVC: Links Links for interested parties • Introduction into the topic • Videoconference Cookbook http://vcc.urz.tu-dresden.de • VC portal http://www.vc.dfn.de • Procurement of VC systems and gatekeeper • VCC Dresden (Video Conference Center) http://vcc.urz.tu-dresden.de/vc-systeme/