Global Platform for Rich Media Conferencing and CollaborationGlobal Platform for Rich Media
Conferencing and Collaboration
Philippe GalvezCalifornia Institute of Technology
Nov 6th, 2003 RedIRIS conference
VRVS: What it is ?VRVS: What it is ?
The Virtual Rooms Videoconferencing System has been developed by Caltech since 1995 to provide a world wide videoconference service for education and research communities.
VRVS is a realtime distributed system which provide a scalable communication infrastructure for large collaboration dispersed all over the world.
Different technologies and protocols are supported (and mixed) and allow users to connect their preferred videoconference.
Supports Mbone, H.323, SIP, QuickTime, Access Grid, JMF and MPEG2.
The system is composed of 1 main server and several reflectors (network servers) spread around the world.
VRVS Web Service DesignVRVS Web Service Design
Unified Web User Interface to schedule and join/leave a meeting independently of the application.
Multi-platform: Windows, Linux, MacOS and Unix Easy to use: Everybody (from 4 to 77 years old) knows
how to click on a web page today. Not true for running a VCR
Virtual Room Concept, Scheduling; Create a virtual space were people can exchange real-time information
Join or Leave a Collaborative session anytime. Do not need to know in advance how many participants and booked ports capacity. Just announce the meeting and people will join from anywhere.
Full Documentation and Tutorial Self service: Don’t need a technician or expert to
organize and join a conference
VRVS Reflector ImplementationVRVS Reflector Implementation Avoids Duplication of Streams on a given Link Can be set to Unicast or Multicast mode or both Connection peer-to-peer with neighbors network servers. Connectionless (more reliable to network breaks) Enables Optimized Routing Enables Bandwidth Control Provide low latency communication Could be use for real-time interactivity or broadcast Provide elegant solution to cross firewall/NAT Remote Management Features. Compliant with IETF RTPv2 Protocol, ready for new applications.
Mbone Mbone ToolsTools
(vic, vat/rat,..)(vic, vat/rat,..)
VRVS Model ImplementationVRVS Model Implementation
donedone Partially donePartially done Work in progressWork in progress Continuously in development
Qo
SQ
oS
VRVS Reflectors (Unicast/Multicast)VRVS Reflectors (Unicast/Multicast)
Real Time Protocol (RTP/RTCP)Real Time Protocol (RTP/RTCP)
SIPSIP
Network Layer (TCP/IP)Network Layer (TCP/IP)
H.323H.323 QuickTimeQuickTimePlayerPlayer
MPEGMPEGMinervaMinerva
Co
llabo
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Co
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Ap
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Ap
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VRVS Web User InterfaceVRVS Web User Interface
VRVS Deployment VRVS Deployment and Usageand Usage
VRVS Reflectors DeploymentVRVS Reflectors Deployment
VRVS Reflectors DeploymentVRVS Reflectors Deployment
USA 27
Spain 5
Brazil 5
Switzerland 5
UK 3
France 3
Slovakia 3
Canada 2
Taiwan 2
Greece 2
Portugal 2
Israel 2
Japan 2
Pakistan 2
Italy 1
Finland 1
Chile 1
Poland 1
Venezuela 1
Hungary 1
China 1
Ireland 1
Russia 1
Czech Republic
1
Belgium 1
Romania 1
Germany 1
78 reflectors Deployment World wide in 27 Different Countries
VRVS registered users and current usageVRVS registered users and current usageas of Nov 4as of Nov 4th, 2003th, 2003
USA 1533
Spain 1007
Italy 429
Switzerland 387
France 343
Brazil 334
Germany 312
UK 249
Japan 118
Canada 118
Scheduled Multipoint Videoconferences Sessions
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
2001
2002
2003
Taiwan, Greece, Argentina, Russia, Slovakia, etc…
62856285 different Users different UsersRegistered
from 93 Countries93 Countries
Scheduled Multipoint Videoconferences hours Sessions
0
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
2001
2002
2003
Machines and OSMachines and OS
VRVS support different
Operating Systems
according to the need
and the demand of the
final users:
1st : Windows
2nd: Linux
3rd: Macintosh
4th: Other UNIX
Machines used in VRVS
21481170 136
14934
Windows
Linux
Macintosh
Others
Connections from Machines
181615
39000
15300 2345
Windows
Linux
Macintosh
Others
VRVS connection per communitiesVRVS connection per communities
Universe 90496
RedIRIS 34218
Astro 7413
Fusion 7982
Slovakia 3072
REUNA 854
A community hosts a dedicated set of Virtual Rooms (currently 10 communities)
Some Examples Some Examples
VRVS on Mac OS XVRVS on Mac OS X
VRVS on WindowsVRVS on Windows
Example 1: Example 1: 20 participants20 participantsBRAZIL (3 sites) + SWITZERLAND (CERN) + USA (Caltech)BRAZIL (3 sites) + SWITZERLAND (CERN) + USA (Caltech)
Exemple 2: Exemple 2: 17 participants17 participantsJAPAN + UK + SWITZERLAND + BRAZIL + USA (SLAC + FERMILAB)JAPAN + UK + SWITZERLAND + BRAZIL + USA (SLAC + FERMILAB)
Some FeaturesSome Features
Network and SecurityNetwork and Security
Possibility of tunneling (TCP or UDP) between reflector servers. All communications use only ONE port !
Peer-to-peer design with high scalability and flexibility Solution for Firewall and NAT Perform some packet recovery Aggregate dynamically bandwidth for H.323 multipoint
conference between End Points to an overall maximum conference bandwidth
Fix incompatibility between several H.323 end points Remotely mute/unmute video or/and audio Optimized network bandwidth utilization Real-time packet loss monitoring Support up to 16,000 Virtual Rooms (parallel meetings)
Administration InterfaceAdministration Interface
o Pure Java J2EE + XMLo HTTPS/SSL secure web interfaceo Monitoring reflectors and users in ongoing conferenceo Full control on database
Monalisa: Real-Time MonitoringMonalisa: Real-Time Monitoring
VRVS Virtual SetupVRVS Virtual Setup
1 dual processors PC
With special 4 output graphic card
6400 x 4800 pixels
Most powerful VRVS End Node
What next ?What next ?
On-going and Future On-going and Future developments (1/2)developments (1/2)
Adaptation to emerging standards: IPv6, SIP
Develop advanced monitoring and tracking tools for ad-hoc conference as well as scheduled multi-site conferences
Develop advanced network monitoring agents (based on Java and web services) to run on each network servers. Possibility to automatic rerouting between VRVS network
servers to find a better network path.. Improve Security (Firewall, NAT, Authentication,
Encryption)
Develop a pure peer-to-peer VRVS reflectors network to be able to handle thousands of parallel sessions
On-going and Future On-going and Future developments (2/2)developments (2/2)
Wireless/Mobile Client Integration: User Interface dedicated for small screens Integration of low end client:
Provide dedicated software clients (VVP, JMF)Transcode streams to lower bandwidthSupport MPEG4
Integration of new hardware/software for high-end interactivity. Developed a multipoint videoconferencing system based on
MPEG4 compression standard. Developed a system using HDTV standard If affordable hardware
devices available.
VRVS, Caltech TeamVRVS, Caltech Team
Philippe Galvez
Project Manager Pasadena (USA)
Gregory Denis
Main Web Developer Geneva (Switzerland)
David Collados
Administration Developer Geneva (Switzerland)
Kun Wei Reflector Main Developer Pasadena (USA)
Dave Adamczyk
CGI, Java and SIP Developer Pasadena (USA)
Dennis Lattka System operation responsible Pasadena (USA)
Joao Correia Support Responsible Geneva (Switzerland)
Additional SlidesAdditional Slides
Virtual Access GridVirtual Access Grid
User can connect to either unicast or multicast videoconferencing with full supported features
User can create his/her own virtual AG node and virtual venues and integrated into VRVS
Different Video modes possible:Voice switched: default mode for H.323 clients. one
video stream at a timeTimer switched: browse through all the video based
on preset timer. One video stream at a time.Selected Streams: Click among the video participants
to view selected video streams (one or several streams available).
All Streams
VAG with Mbone ClientsVAG with Mbone Clients
Conclusion: We believe that VRVS offers the following unique differentiators:
Usability – VRVS’ web-based user interface is easy to use and allows almost any desktop of videoconference suite to connect to a VRVS virtual room conference with only few clicks. Its default client apps enable multi-standards audio, video and data collaboration.
Scalability – VRVS scales up with the needs for quality and volume more elegantly and beyond anything possible now.More simultaneous participants in a same virtual
roomMore simultaneous virtual room conferencesWider range of video and data sharing quality
Flexibility – VRVS allows inter-operation of collaborative communications between end points of various audio, video and data sharing capabilities as well as different types of connectivity.
Efficiency – VRVS server software makes efficient use of bandwidth by routing required information only to various nodes.
Ubiquity – VRVS’ ease-of-use and scalability unlocks the value of network-based collaboration tools and allows anyone, anywhere, anytime to improve their collaborative experience.
Robustness – VRVS is field tested on a large scale for a long period of time. It has demonstrated exceptional reliability and simplified its deployment and use beyond anything available today (except maybe POTS and email!)
Web based interfaceWeb based interface
VRVS provides a natural and intuitive interface to organize and manage your meetings. Several interfaces let you see in 1 shot all current conferences, let you book a new one in 3 clicks. Several academic communities are handled by VRVS. Each one has its specific Virtual Rooms. VRVS manages multi international time zones in a transparent way. Its use do not require technical knowledge nor technician action.
Connection InterfaceConnection Interface
Connect / Disconnect the selected videoconference client Provide different video modes Allow CHAT and Private messages Can share your computer desktop Remote control of video cameras.
co-browsing of web sites real time list of connected participants
share computer desktop with other participants