ConferenceXP

Background

Like AccessGrid, Conference XP is an open-source project by Microsoft to centralize conference point (voice/video conference & etc) for both multicast/unicast network.

For every conference held, there is a central host, called the "venue". Its role is to update all clients with necessary network information such as the multicast address and the port number of the conference. With these informations, clients can then operate in a peer-to-peer manner, sending voice/video traffic directly to each other.

ViSLAB hosts a Conference XP venue server at http://confxp.vislab.usyd.edu.au/venueservice. If your institution wishes to have its own virtual venue, please contact ViSLAB.

How to install and configure ConferenceXP Client?

Conference XP Clients

To connect to the server, the clients simply browse the Conference XP web server and acquire all the information to start conferencing. The latest client available to date is ConferenceXP Client 5.0. The installer is compatible with Microsoft Windows Vista.

Installing and configuring the client:

Download the Conference XP client , install and run it.
Select Settings->Services.
Select Configure Venue Services.
Fill in the Venue Service URL (e.g. http://[web server IP address]/VenueService). For ViSLAB venue service, please use: http://confxp.vislab.usyd.edu.au/venueservice .
Click Add.
Select the added venue as the Venue Service and hit OK.
Joining the venue is as simple as clicking on the icon

Reflector Service:

If you require a reflector service (Unicast-Multicast bridge), in the School of Mathematics and Statistics:

You can add reflector by clicking on Settings > Services, Configure Reflector Services and typein IP address of Reflector Service running on the computer inside the Maths network:

129.78.68.245

Highlight it and click on Add, OK and Close

Once done, the client will be able to discover your created venue server. Click on it and your conference shall begin.

Conference XP Server

Conference XP server is basically a web server which publishes all necessary information required by the clients. Therefore, a Conference XP server consists of the following:

Active Directory (Available in Windows XP and 2K only)
IIS Web Server
Venue Service Manager

The Venue Service Manager allows administrator to configure the multicast address and port number where the service will be held. These informations are then packaged and published to the web server.

Installing the server:

Goto control panel->Add/Remove Programs->Add/Remove Components.
Check the box with IIS Web server and click Install.
Download Venue Service Manager and run the installer.
Select the web server that you will be using and leave the rest in default.
After installation, run the Venue Service Manager.
To create a venue, key in the multicast address and the port number you will be using. You can also add a name and logo that identifies the venue.
Select OK.

Note: Make sure the firewall is opened to allow incoming connection to the web server (port 80). To check, perform the following:

Goto control panel->Windows Firewall->Exceptions.
If port 80 is not included, select Add port.
Enter Web server as name, 80 as port number, and TCP as protocol.
Select OK.
Select Advanced and select Properties for the network card you will be using.
Make sure the Web server option is checked.

Verify the Conference XP server is running:

Open your web browser and goto http://[web server IP address]/VenueService.
If the server is running, a Conference XP web page will appear.

Note: For easy access, the web server IP address should be linked to a DNS name.

Other Conference XP Server Services

Other potentially useful services offered include:

ConferenceXP Archive Service - Used for recording a conference session so that it can be playback later.
ConferenceXP Reflector Service - Used for bridging unicast/multicast network so that unicast network user can join in the conference as well.

To use this services, the clients must also be configured with the address pointing to the server offering the service.

Troubleshooting

Problem: 1.) Black/Blank Video Screen -or- 2.) Blank video when video compression is enabled.
Solution: Download the latest Windows Media Player to get the latest codec.

Problem: Reflector service is not functioning properly. Either all clients need to use multicast or all clients need to use unicast to be able to see each other. No partial multicast/unicast. Meaning: Multicast/Unicast bridging failed.
Solution: Reflector service listen on port 5004 for multicast communication. And convert them to unicast to be sent. All your venues in the Venue Service Manager SHOULD be set to port 5004.

The following information list the port number used by Conference XP protocol. It may helps you on network diagnostic:

5004/5005 UDP (multicast video/voice)
7004/7005 UDP (unicast video/voice)
8083 TCP (join and leave requests)

Problem: After installing IIS and Venue Service, a connection to http://localhost/venueservice from web browser reveals a server application error being unable to execute ASP.NET script.
Solution: This happens if IIS is installed after .NET 2.0 distribution framework. To solve this problem, reinstall/repair .NET 2.0 framework.

Problem: In Windows Vista, the audio is distorted and is barely audible.
Solution: Change the audio format (e.g. channel 1, 22050Hz, 16 bits per sample).

Links

Conference XP Project: http://www.codeplex.com/ConferenceXP, http://research.microsoft.com/conferencexp/
Conference XP 5: http://cct.cs.washington.edu/downloads/CXP/
Archive Transcoder: http://www.cs.washington.edu/education/dl/confxp/archive_transcoder.html