Jefferson-Lewis BOCES has deployed a complete Polycom Video Conferencing system with bridge and management system. This new system supports not only the traditional hardware endpoints but also software clients with webcam. This new system should allow all of our staff and potentially all the schools in our region to work in a new video based collaborative environment.

 

   Anyone with a video conferencing unit, be it is a Tandberg or Polycom, is welcome to join our gatekeeper. This will give your unit full access to our bridge and global address book. Making it easier than ever before to call regionally without the need to know any complicated addresses.

 

   Users can then easily call each other directly, join one of our many meeting rooms (for an ad hoc conference) or by having us schedule a conference for you. (The last is only applicable to hardware based end points.)

 

For additional information on our Video Conferencing System BOCES employees can log into the website or contact the Distance Learning Coordinator.

 

 

 

   The new CMA system also offers a software client called CMA Desktop. This software client, offers users the ability to call each other or enter meeting rooms for ad hoc conferences. The client is currently available to BOCES staff for download from the tab to the left. It requires a webcam and Microphone to function.

 

 

 

    As part of this system we have also collaborated with the Regional Information Center to deploy Polycom's VBP(Video Border Proxy) solution. This allows our system to more easily call in and out of the region to the Internet without the need to open ports in the regions firewall. In order to call into the region you need some additional information.

 

   For the outside world to call into your desktop or your hardware end point, you would provide them with your alias and the address of our Polycom VBP. (polycom.boces.com) For hardware end points the alias should be displayed on the screen. With the CMADesktop you can look up your alias by selecting Menu->Preferences and then the Configuration item on the left.  (Look for the number next to "H.323 extension (E.164:") Your alias will typically be a string of numbers and often we use your seven digit phone number or the rooms seven digit phone number.

 

Those on the Internet would then call you by using a dialing string that is compatible with their video conferencing system.

 

 

From some older systems the format used is as such:

 

 

    When calling to someone on the Internet, it would be up the them to give you the correct information to connect with. It may be directly via an IP address(I.e. 192.168.254.30) or using an alias as above.

 

 

    Polycom just reported that we should now be able to directly dial ISDN numbers from end stations. Use the following dial prefix 782000*(ISDN NUMBER) and replace the (ISDN NUMBER) with the number you are trying to call. Otherwise, The Distance Learning department can schedule ISDN calls for you. There are not many locations still using ISDN today.