VRVS Deployment and the Internet2 Commons
VRVS (Virtual
Rooms Videoconferencing System) provides a worldwide videoconferencing service
and collaborative environment to the research and education communities. VRVS
uses the Internet2 high-performance network infrastructure to deploy its Web-based
system, which now includes more than 6150 registered hosts running VRVS software
in more than 50 different countries. VRVS hosts an average of 190-multipoint
videoconference and collaborative sessions worldwide every month. VRVS continues
to expand and implement new digital video technologies, including H.323 ITU
standard integration, MPEG-2 videoconferencing integration, shared environments,
and Quality of Service. VRVS was created by CalTech in association with CERN.
VRVS Reflectors
As part of the Internet2 Commons initiative, Internet2 is deploying a series of VRVS servers, known as reflectors, around the network to both provide better performance for existing VRVS users and to facilitate access by new users. In addition to the two reflectors at the Internet2 Ann Arbor office (vrvs.internet2.edu), five additional reflectors have been recently installed and are available to the Internet2 Member Community. These are:
- vrvs2.internet2.edu in New York
- vrvs3.internet2.edu in Denver
- vrvs4.internet2.edu in Orlando (UCF)
- vrvs5.internet2.edu in Texas (TAMU)
Additional reflectors, which are PC servers running Linux and remotely configured from CERN, can be deployed easily at any Internet2 member location. Users interact with the reflectors using a web-based interface.
VRVS Compatibility with Other Services
VRVS reflectors allow participants to connect from their desktop to the Access Grid network, enabling collaboration with users in Access Grid meeting rooms or "virtual spaces". The
VRVS reflectors are also H.323 compatible and play the role of an H.323 MCU
(Multipoint Control Unit) with no limitations to the number of ports or parallel
conferences.
Join the Mailing Lists
Internet2 invites you to join two mailing lists created to support VRVS deployment. The mailing list vrvs-announce@internet2.edu will send out announcements concerning the deployment and use of the VRVS component of the Internet2 Commons. The second list is vrvs-tech@internet2.edu,
which will be used for community support and problem reporting. These are self-subscribing
lists that will restrict mail to registered members only.
If you are interested in subscribing to either or both of these lists, simply
send email to: sympa@internet2.edu with the following text in the body of
the message:
sub <list-name> <your full name>
(example: sub vrvs-announce Joe Smith)
(example: sub vrvs-tech Jane Doe)
To unsub, simply send a message to sympa@internet2.edu with the following text in the body of the message:
For more information about VRVS, refer to the VRVS FAQ.
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