Cisco Systems MeetingPlace Video Integration How Video Conferences Start

2-6

Administrator’s Guide for Cisco MeetingPlace Video Integration Release 5.3

OL-6280-01

Chapter2 Cisco MeetingPlace Video Integration Components and Process

About the Cisco MeetingPlace Video-Conferencing Process

How Video Conferences Start

The Cisco IPVC MCU is configured to allow Cisco MeetingPlace Video Integration to control all H.323

video-conferencing resources and meeting operations on the CiscoIPVC MCU, including initiating

meetings. Cisco MeetingPlace does not control SCCP resources on the Cisco IPVC MCU.

Before a video conference can be started on the CiscoIPVC MCU, a Cisco MeetingPlace meeting must

exist on the Cisco MeetingPlace audio server. However, the meeting does not need to be scheduled in

advance; it can be scheduled as an immediate or reservationless meet ing, as long as video ports and video

conferences are available at the time of the request.

The first Cisco MeetingPlace conference participant who joins the video conference initiates the creation

of the video conference on the Cisco IPVC MCU. Cisco MeetingPlace Video Integration verifies that

the conference is currently in session or within the guard times of the existing meeting, then tells the

Cisco IPVC MCU to immediately create a video conference with the Meeting ID.

The Meeting ID for the video conf erence includes the MeetingPlace service pre fix that identifies

Cisco MeetingPlace conferences on the CiscoIPVC MCU, plus the standard Cisco MeetingPlace

Meeting ID for that conference. This Meeting ID is used by the gatekeeper or CiscoCallManager to

route incoming calls for this conference over the network to the CiscoIPVC MCU.

Conferences cannot be created by dialing in to the CiscoIPVC MCU unless the meeting has been

scheduled on Cisco MeetingPlace audio server. If a participant dials in to the CiscoIPVC MCU to start

a conference, the Cisco IPVC MCU sends information about the new video confer ence to

Cisco MeetingPlace VideoIntegration. If the conference has not been scheduled in Cisco MeetingPlace,

is not currently in session, or is outside the guard times of a scheduled meeting,

Cisco MeetingPlace VideoIntegration tells the Cisco IPVC MCU not to create the conference.

When the first video participant joins an authorized video conference, either by outdialing from the

Cisco MeetingPlace Web Conferencing meeting room or by dialing in to the Cisc o IPVC MCU,

Cisco MeetingPlace creates the link that connects the audio channel of the video conference and the

audio channel of the Cisco MeetingPlace a udio server.

To initiate this link, CiscoMeetingPlace Video Integration tells the Cisco MeetingPlace audio server to

outdial to the Cisco IPVC MCU; the call is routed through the

Cisco MeetingPlace H.323/SIPIP Gateway to CiscoCallManager or to the H.323 gatekeeper, either of

which has been configured to route the call to the CiscoIPVC MCU. Either the gatekeeper or the

Cisco IPVC MCU can route the call to the correct conference. The routing pattern (outdialed number)

for this transaction is composed of the service prefix that identifies Cisco MeetingPlace conferences on

the Cisco IPVC MCU (and also is unique among the routing patterns configured on the gatekeeper and

CallManager) plus the Cisco MeetingPlace Meeting ID of the conference.

Cisco MeetingPlace VideoIntegration tries three times to establish this link.

After the link is established, the entire audio channe l of the video conference on the Cisco IPVC MCU

becomes a participant in the CiscoMeetingPlace audio conference and vice versa.

Note The video link appears as a named participant in the in-session tab in MeetingTime, but not in the

Cisco MeetingPlace web-conferencing meeting room. It also is included in some reports, but not all. See

About Video-Conferencing Statistics, page 4-13.