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<TITLE>[AG-TECH] Advice on versions, please!</TITLE>
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<DIV dir=ltr><FONT face=Arial size=2>AG Connector runs on 2.4 as well. The
problem is that it is not reliable (I am guessing here: possibly due to the
capacity of the ANL server?). For sure there are numerous reports and this is
our experience as well that if you start the Connector from the AG Venue
Client you may experience a looping drop of both audio and video where time and
frequency is proportional to the number of parties in the session who use the
connector (hence my capacity question). On top of that most of the time, since
the majority of our networks are "multicast challenged", if you use the
Connector you enter into a "stealth mode" (no sign of you in the
venue, but you can still see and hear everybody at least until the connector
quits on you). In my total desperation to make things work, I put together a VB
app for Windows that pulls up the venue lobby of your choice and also opens a
second VIC that points to the UMTP server's UDP video port. Now, if you go to
unicast you can transmit video and audio through the venue client and receive
constant (not looping) audio. Then you open an instance of the AG connector in
the client and whoila(!) you have incoming video as well in a network where UDP
ports can not be opened from the outside. Also, when video is lost through the
UMTP server, audio stays, so you can at least communicate until video comes
back. This can also be done by using 2 computers, one on unicast and the other
using the connector for incoming video.</FONT></DIV>
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<DIV dir=ltr><FONT face=Arial size=2>This is total misery and it should not go
like that! I ask the AG community to put the solution of the port/firewall
issue ahead of all other tasks.</FONT></DIV>
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<DIV dir=ltr><FONT face=Arial size=2>1) How exactly the AG connector calls the
UMTP server? Yes, I looked into the python scripts, but it is not easy to get
all of this from the ".py" files. I even hex dumped the compiled exes and looked
into the embedded python scripts for clues. We need much more tech info on the
connector!</FONT></DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr><FONT face=Arial size=2>2) Why can't we FIX the UDP ports for each
venue room, so that when the server is re-booted, it will not require a new URL
and a new port (seems totally necessary to me). This will allow us to give a
"one-button" access to simple, lay users, who just simply want to join a
conference without a master's degree in computer engineering.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr><FONT face=Arial size=2>3) Why can't we agree and narrow down the
number of ports to a handful in each venue server? The debate on the real risk
of this is absolutely unimportant in the face of what IT departments think and
what is their practice. We can grumble, but that will not solve our problems,
will it?</FONT></DIV>
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<DIV dir=ltr><FONT face=Arial color=#000000 size=2><STRONG>Anybody has a win32
compiled version of the "patched" VIC? Could you post it on the AG
website???</STRONG></FONT></DIV></DIV>
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<DIV><FONT face=Arial color=#000000 size=2>_ _ _</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial color=#000000 size=2>Zsolt Nagykaldi, PhD</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Research Associate, Clinical IT
Specialist</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>University Of Oklahoma Health Sciences
Center</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Department Of Family And Preventive
Medicine</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Oklahoma Center For Family Medicine
Research</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>900 NE 10th Street</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Oklahoma City, OK 73104</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Phone: (405) 271-8000 Ext.:1-32212</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Fax: (405)
271-1682</FONT></DIV></DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr><BR>
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<FONT face=Tahoma size=2><B>From:</B> owner-ag-tech@mcs.anl.gov on behalf of
Randy Groves<BR><B>Sent:</B> Thu 2/9/2006 2:16 PM<BR><B>To:</B>
ag-tech@mcs.anl.gov<BR><B>Subject:</B> [AG-TECH] Advice on versions,
please!<BR></FONT><BR></DIV>
<DIV>
<P><FONT size=2>I'm faced with trying to determine if our present external
network<BR>connection will be sufficient for at least minimal AG
connection.<BR><BR>We are behind a Netscreen firewall. Up until a few
months ago, we<BR>had the capability to have incoming ports opened so that VIC
would<BR>work. That was taken away in a sudden security fit. We have
ssh<BR>inbound, and I believe the appropriate outbound settings that
should<BR>allow inbound if we initiate.<BR><BR>The process to get back to close
to the old status quo is going to be<BR>arduous, and heavily bureaucratic, so
I'd like to see if I can piece<BR>together something that will at least get me a
single video and audio<BR>feed through.<BR><BR>I'm multicast challenged as well,
so all this will have to be bridged.<BR><BR>AG Connector seems like a
possibility, but it seems it is somewhat<BR>flakey and tied to 2.3.
True? And do I need an AG Connector to talk<BR>to? I seem to see
indications that there is one running at<BR>ANL. What are the
specifics? Are there others running elsewhere?<BR><BR>There is the VIC
patch, which seems like it would allow at least one<BR>video stream
in.<BR><BR>AG3 is still too young.<BR><BR>I hate to say this, but my experience
with inSors during SC '05 made<BR>me realize that the connection over one port
is definitely do-able,<BR>and that it shouldn't be as difficult as it seems to
be.<BR><BR>(Yeah, yeah I know, Jim, I might consider it - but we don't have
any<BR>budget ...)<BR><BR>Thanks in advance for any
assistance!!<BR><BR>-randy<BR><BR></FONT></P></DIV>
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