MCU Capacity Exploration &
More for R&E Trends
Workshop
Tim Poe
Multimedia Services Architect
About MCNC
MCNC is an independent, non-profit organization that
employs advanced Internet networking technologies
and systems to continuously improve learning and
collaboration throughout North Carolina's K-20
education community. MCNC provides advanced
communications technologies and support services that
enable access to 21st century learning applications and
offers the opportunity to improve teaching, learning,
research, and collaboration among North Carolina’s
education community.
Problem
MCNC is faced with a pending
dilemma of how to prepare for an
anticipated tsunami of video
conferencing soft endpoint use.
MCU ports are expensive. We
currently pay in the neighborhood of
$1,425 per port, per year (3 year life
cycle) for standard definition (SD)
ports and approximately $2,850 per
port, per year (3 year life cycle) for
high definition (HD) ports.
Expansion Options
MCU Blade Purchases
The simplest way to accommodate
growth is to simply purchase
additional SD, HD, or TIP blades, as
indicated by growing demand.
Fully integrated with TMS scheduling.
Fully compatible with other Cisco infrastructure.
Fully compatible with internal dial plans.
Fully integrated with voice integration across all
MCUs.
Support for standards-based video encryption.
Support for H.239 data sharing.
The 8510 blades can be cascaded together (currently
3 blades, soon 4 blades - cascading ability of like
cards).
Fully compatible with internal dial plans.
Select
Proprietary/NonH.323/Non-SIP Soft
Endpoint with a Lower
Per-Port MCU
Capability
There are some non-standards software
endpoints with their own proprietary MCU
solutions that costs significantly less that
standards-based MCU ports.
Vidyo.
While based on video encoding standards, Vidyo will
not interact with standards-based video conferencing
infrastructure without a Vidyo Gateway. That said, the
per-port cost for Vidyo multipoint infrastructure
(including gateway services, multipoint services, and
licensing) is approximately $450 per port, per year (3
year life cycle).
Vidyo can integrate with standardsbased endpoints in one of two ways:
In the first example, endpoints dial
directly into our MCU, and are
cascaded with Vidyo endpoints.
In the illustration, a
seventeen-person continuous
presence video conference is
simulated. Eight of the callers
come directly into our MCU
through various endpoints.
The additional 9 participants
shown in the lower right-hand
portion of the screen join via
Vidyo’s separate multipoint
server, which has been
bridged to our MCU. This
drawback must be balanced
against the benefits of
managing endpoints with our
current infrastructure.
In the second example, all endpoints dial into the Vidyo
infrastructure. This provides equal “video real estate”
within a multipoint call, and does not require Vidyo
“ports” for non Vidyo soft endpoints. However, this
solution does not take advantage of the granular control
provided by other infrastructure currently in place (TMS,
VCS, etc.).
SeeVogh is another product that is generating
significant interest. The new user interface currently in
beta is particularly noteworthy.
Web Conferencing, etc.
Lync
WebEx
Adobe Connect
Blackboard Collaborate
Big Blue Button
These solutions provide low
cost multipoint functionality,
but lack standards
integration.
Lync
WebEx
Other Web Conferencing
Solutions including Adobe
Connect, Big Blue Button,
etc.
Third Party MCU and
Bridging Services
Blue Jeans Network has recently emerged as a service
provider, offering minute-based plans for MCU and
protocol bridging services. BJN currently bridges calls
between H.323 codecs and the following proprietary
video and voice solutions:
•
•
•
•
Skype (with the purchase of at least one Skype
multipoint agreement per session).
Google Talk
PSTN (direct telephony dialing)
Additionally, BJN is working on bridging other
solutions, including Microsoft Lync.
Blue Jeans
Network pricing
structure is in
many ways
similar to that of
audio
teleconferencin
g services,
which have perminute
charges.
Using Blue Jeans Network
Procure a room.
Create an invitation.
Distribute the invitation.
Join the conference.
Manage the conference.
A Sample
Invitation
Managing Your Room
This is, in many ways, similar to managing a
session on one of our MCUs.
While the pricing and versatility of BJN is a at first
glance, very attractive, there are several concerns that
should be noted:
•Performance on BJN is sometimes less than
optimal, due to lack of I2 peering.
•While BJN does allow Skype participation, at least
one participant in each BJN call must be a Skype
Premium customer (currently discounted at a rate
of $4.49 per month).
•BJN does not have a cloud located on the East
Coast.
The Blue Jeans Network service marks a new and
innovative departure from current models of operating
video conferencing infrastructure. It is noteworthy to
recognize that the support of Skype and Google Talk
eliminates the need for MCNC to license soft endpoints.
This is important as it reduces costs and removes our
role in handling the authentication and authorization
issues associated with our deployments of software
based endpoints. While the relatively low quality of the
BJN user experience likely reduces the appeal of the
product as a solution for our needs today, the trajectory
of the service should be watched closely.
Outsource
There may be situations where MCU capacity can not
be expanded quickly enough to meet short term
demand, or where one-time/short-term events require
port expansion for a limited amount of time.
Examples include: Internet2 Commons, Glowpoint, AGT
Perfect Meetings, etc.
Conclusion
We will continue to use our existing
infrastructure, and determine how we
can use new innovations, such at
Telepresence Conductor to get the
best value and functionality possible.
We will carefully evaluate products
such as Vidyo and SeeVogh to
determine how they may integrate to
meet customer needs and reduce
the cost of multipoint infrastructure.
We will continue to carefully evaluate
the potential integration of Web
conferencing solutions.
Conduct additional testing with Blue
Jeans Network (and any similar
services that emerge).
Continue to look at a variety of
issues related to gatewaying,
streaming, archiving, etc.
Evaluate emerging products, such as
Google+ Hangouts, which may
eventually prove to be viable
solutions to integrate with our
standards-based infrastructure.