Last Updated: 11 October 01
Contact: Ronald Olton

PURPOSE:

The purpose of these guidelines is to provide the colleges of the Virginia Community College System with the information they need to implement multipoint H.321 video bridging services.

SCOPE:

These guidelines cover the strategy and components used to deliver H.321 video bridging services using the VCCS ATM wide area network environment.

This document will be updated to adapt to changes in technology, as they occur.

APPLICABILITY:

These guidelines are applicable to all colleges and campuses within the VCCS.

GUIDELINES:

These guidelines provide a new VCCS ATM wide area network service, H.321 video bridging. The colleges may use it to leverage their investment in the existing VCCS ATM wide area network by conducting videoconferences among H.321 capable devices (classroom systems, conference room systems, etc.).

Strategy:

The H.321 video bridging strategy is to use a shared H.321 video bridge that is accessed via the VCCS ATM wide area network to conduct multipoint H.321 videoconferences. It provides video bridging services among any H.321 video compliant devices on NWV.

H.321 Video Bridging Components:

The video bridging service includes an H.321 hardware bridge, the existing campus ATM infrastructure, the existing VCCS ATM wide area network, and a Web based conference scheduling service.

H.321 Video Bridge:

The bridge is capable of supporting a fixed number of concurrent end point connections and a variable number of concurrent conferences, depending on the number of participants in each conference. It is a shared network resource that is operated by the VCC Utility.

Campus ATM Infrastructure:

All campuses infrastructures have an ATM switch that provides ATM access to the VCCS ATM wide area network. The campus ATM switch is also connected to the campus video device(s), providing ATM network access for the codecs.

VCCS ATM Wide Area Network:

The VCCS ATM wide area network consists of the campus DS-3 ATM circuit and an ATM switch. The VCCS ATM wide area network provides the inter site connectivity for H.321 compressed video communications.

Web Based Conference Scheduling Service:

The conference scheduling server is accessed using a standard Web browser (version 4.0 or greater of either Internet Explorer or Netscape). It allows customers to schedule H.321 conferences.

H.321 Video Bridging Operation:

Any authorized VCCS customer may, 1) schedule the conference themselves using their Web browser, or 2) call the VCC Utility NOC to schedule the conference. If calling the NOC, the caller will be given confirmation that the conference has been scheduled. In both cases, the person making the reservation will inform all conference participants of the conference start time and date.

At the scheduled time and date, the video bridge will start the conference by calling the video codecs in the conference.

The bridge will terminate the conference at the scheduled end time.

Security:

All H.321 video resources are to be protected, by their owners, in accordance with the Virginia Community College System security policy. See the “Distributed Security” model on the System Office Web server for more information.

The colleges are responsible for providing physical security and access authorization services for their H.321 devices.

Support:

The VCC Utility and the colleges should maintain service contracts on all of their equipment, to facilitate timely repair and replacement of defective devices.

Technical support is organized into three levels:

Level 1, the college:

College support staff provides the point of contact for their customers. They are expected to resolve routine problems related to ATM networking in general and H.321 conferencing in particular.

Level 2, the VCC Utility Help Desk:

Help Desk staff provides the point of contact for college support staff and college customers. They are expected to resolve routine problems related to ATM networking and H.321 video conferencing.

VCC Utility product specialists will work with college support staff and vendors to research solutions to non-routine ATM and H.321 videoconferencing problems, and to obtain appropriate solutions such as product patches, new releases, etc.

Level 3, the vendors:

The vendors are responsible for maintaining their products by providing product patches, information, new releases, etc.

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