Presentation on Mconf webconferencing service, created by Brazilian NREN RNP, that will be offered to the South African Research and Education community through the South African NREN (National Research and Education Network)

1. Mconf: An Open Source
Multiconference
System for Web and Mobile Devices
Inputs taken from Valter Roesler, Felipe Cecagno, Leonardo Crauss Daronco and Fred Dixon
Presented by Kasandra Isaac
SANReN Engineer

2. 4 groups of Video conference
Systems
1. Room: Hardware, eg. Polycom, Lifesize, Vidyo
2. Telepresence: Cisco telepresence
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3. 3. Desktop: Installs and launches system on computer eg.
Vidyo, Zoom, Skype
4. Web: Run within a browser - Adobe Connect, Big Blue
Button, Mconf
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4. What is Mconf?
• Developed by Brazilian NREN, RNP
• Open source conferencing system for web and
mobile devices
• Distance education, remote meetings,
broadcasting events
• Based on Big Blue Button
• The client runs with Adobe Flash Player
• Offers roles of viewer or moderator
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5. Mconf as an alternative to
commercial web conferencing
• Compares well with Adobe Connect use
and features
• Will replace current Adobe Connect trial
installation hosted by SANReN
Competency Area
• Open source
• Cost recovery only for technical support
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6. Web conference, hosted within browser
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7. Mconf Exploratory Services
1. Mconf portal hosted at mconf-fid.sanren.ac.za
• Mconf-Live webconferencing software is on the back-
end of the service
• Mconf-Live connects with other Mconf-Live servers
globally – for scalability
• Integrated with SA federation
• Currently only IPv4 compatibly
2. Mconf portal hosted at mconf.c4.csir.co.za
• BBB is the backend on the webconferencing software
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8. Mconf Production Service
• To be launched by 1 July 2015
• To be hosted on TENET infrastructure
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9. How to access the production service
Preferred:
• Get your institution to join
• All users at the institution will then be able to
register themselves on Mconf with their institution’s
credentials
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11. Mconf features that will be tested
for production
• Real-time communication with audio and
video
• Screen and presentation sharing, whiteboard,
chat, and shared notes during the session
• Web portal - to start and participate in web
conferences easily
• Supported in all modern web browsers and
operating systems
• Federated Identity integration
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12. Mconf features that will be tested
for production
• Recording server
• Scalability and monitoring
• Mobile client compatibility
• Integrated with web applications, such as
Moodle
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Web portal

14. Document sharing page
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15. Use on mobile devices
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16. Lock speak/Push to talk functions
Idea is to be able use your
mobile phone as a remote
to conduct conference
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17. Summary
• Mconf experimental service will be a free web conferencing
service offered to the research and education community
• Mconf production service will be hosted by TENET
• Launched as a production service by 1 July 2015
• Replace the Adobe Connect trial installation hosted by the
SANReN Competency Area
• Can be used from within a web browser, as centralised service
provided by the SA NREN
• Vidyo and Mconf are complementary services
• Preferred method of accessing the service – Join SAFIRE
federation
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18. Contact kisaac@csir.co.za
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For further info on Mconf:
Contact fid-pilot@tracker.sanren.ac.za http://www.safire.ac.za/
To join SAFIRE Federation:
Start experimenting with Mconf at:
https://mconf.c4.csir.co.za
https://mconf-fid.sanren.ac.za (Must be member of SAFIRE)
https://mconf.org (hosted by RNP)

19. Thank you for listening
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Questions?

20. Possible future developments
promised by RNP
• To create an HTML5 client, in order to have
web conference in other mobile platforms
such as iOS and Windows Phone.
• To simplify the web portal, allowing the
user to know who is available in each
community and create easily a web
conference with them.
• To allow interaction with room systems like
Polycom, using H.323 or SIP.
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