mconf web conferencing service for sa nren use

Mconf: An Open Source Multiconference

System for Web and Mobile Devices

Inputs taken from Valter Roesler, Felipe Cecagno, Leonardo Crauss Daronco and Fred Dixon

Presented by Kasandra IsaacSANReN Engineer

4 groups of Video conference Systems

1. Room: Hardware, eg. Polycom, Lifesize, Vidyo

2. Telepresence: Cisco telepresence

2

3. Desktop: Installs and launches system on computer eg. Vidyo, Zoom, Skype

4. Web: Run within a browser - Adobe Connect, Big Blue Button, Mconf

3

4

What is Mconf?• Developed by Brazilian NREN, RNP• Open source conferencing system for web and

mobile devices• Distance education, remote meetings,

broadcasting events• Based on Big Blue Button• The client runs with Adobe Flash Player• Offers roles of viewer or moderator

5

Mconf as an alternative to commercial web conferencing• Compares well with Adobe Connect use

and features• Will replace current Adobe Connect trial

installation hosted by SANReN Competency Area

• Open source• Cost recovery only for technical support

6

Web conference, hosted within browser

7

Mconf Exploratory Services1. Mconf portal hosted at mconf-fid.sanren.ac.za• Mconf-Live webconferencing software is on the back-

end of the service • Mconf-Live connects with other Mconf-Live servers

globally – for scalability • Integrated with SA federation • Currently only IPv4 compatibly

2. Mconf portal hosted at mconf.c4.csir.co.za• BBB is the backend on the webconferencing software

8

Mconf Production Service

• To be launched by 1 July 2015

• To be hosted on TENET infrastructure

9

How to access the production service

Preferred:• Get your institution to join• All users at the institution will then be able to

register themselves on Mconf with their institution’s credentials

10

11

Mconf features that will be tested for production

• Real-time communication with audio and video

• Screen and presentation sharing, whiteboard, chat, and shared notes during the session

• Web portal - to start and participate in web conferences easily

• Supported in all modern web browsers and operating systems

• Federated Identity integration

12

Mconf features that will be tested for production

• Recording server• Scalability and monitoring• Mobile client compatibility • Integrated with web applications, such as

Moodle

13

Web portal

14

Document sharing page

15

Use on mobile devices

16

Lock speak/Push to talk functions

Idea is to be able use your mobile phone as a remote to conduct conference

17

Summary• Mconf experimental service will be a free web conferencing

service offered to the research and education community• Mconf production service will be hosted by TENET • Launched as a production service by 1 July 2015• Replace the Adobe Connect trial installation hosted by the

SANReN Competency Area• Can be used from within a web browser, as centralised service

provided by the SA NREN• Vidyo and Mconf are complementary services• Preferred method of accessing the service – Join SAFIRE

federation

18

Contact kisaac@csir.co.zaFor further info on Mconf:

Contact fid-pilot@tracker.sanren.ac.za http://www.safire.ac.za/

To join SAFIRE Federation:

Start experimenting with Mconf at:https://mconf.c4.csir.co.zahttps://mconf-fid.sanren.ac.za (Must be member of SAFIRE)

https://mconf.org (hosted by RNP)

19

Thank you for listening

Questions?

20

Possible future developments promised by RNP

• To create an HTML5 client, in order to have web conference in other mobile platforms such as iOS and Windows Phone.

• To simplify the web portal, allowing the user to know who is available in each community and create easily a web conference with them.

• To allow interaction with room systems like Polycom, using H.323 or SIP.