Polycom HDX 6000. First Stage: a decentralized video conferencing solution in an organization
On Habré there are not very many articles on deploying video conferencing solutions (hereinafter referred to as video conferencing) in organizations, but surely many administrators who received such a project asked themselves questions: which solution to choose, which equipment to order, where to start, how much will it cost, what features settings, etc.
Thanks to JaGoRcore for the article A quick guide to selecting a manufacturer of video conferencing on a comparative analysis of video conferencing systems, which gave me the idea to write on this topic in more detail from personal experience of deployment, configuration and administration.
In a series of articles I will try to tell you how the solution based on Polycom was deployed using the example of the organization where I work, from decentralized with 2 points to the present: 10 points, a multi-point communication center and a provisioning server, allowing another 100 users to connect to the soft client.
')
So, part 1 - 2011, from 2 to 4 points, a decentralized solution.
How we took root, how we expanded, how we trained and trained users.
The year 2011 was pilot for launching this solution, in a few words it can be characterized: weak standardization of settings, almost undocumentedly, it works - do not touch it!
One fine summer day of the aforementioned year, the company where I at that time held the position of system administrator received as many as 2 devices (they are also called “codecs”) Polycom HDX 6000-720.
Also, except for codecs, the following set was purchased (for convenience, I publish full titles and comments):
In addition, it took, of course, the image display device itself: we took the LED TV. Initially, 40 ”was considered sufficient for a room of 20 square meters, the future showed that it was naive optimism, now the meeting rooms are equipped with plasmas of 55”.
As it turned out, the manufacturer does not add the following consumables to the kit by default:
I suspect that they can be ordered from the same distributor, but due to the nature of the company, we purchase them separately.
It turned out the minimum set costing about 400 thousand rubles. If they could have done without “extra accessories”, it turned out about 50 thousand rubles. cheaper. Amounts are indicated as exemplary, since it all depends on the dollar rate at the time of purchase (yes, that's right, do not be surprised) this month the figures are almost the same.
The total initial budget is 700-800 thousand rubles. for 2 devices (and one is pointless to take, if your video infrastructure is limited only by Skype). You can save on codecs and take Polycom HDX 4000, you can on a conference phone, you decide. We took just such a kit.
I will describe briefly what exactly we configured on devices. A detailed description took me about 30 pages of instructions with screenshots for assembling, installing and setting up all this stuff, it happened after trial operation and not in 2011. If you wish, in one of the articles I will tell you what instructions, documents and materials I used to “cover” the process of transferring the service to another administrator.
By the way, everything is configured via the web interface, but the conference phone can be configured using the built-in keyboard.
On the conference phone, only SIP and a fixed IP address have been configured. On the first devices, the same address book was set up, but later they refused - users do not use it.
Most of the settings are optional and customize to your taste and color.
For example, we have disabled the auto-answer for point-to-point. This unnerving users. And set: Display call duration - elapsed time, instead of the default.
Be sure to set up the main screen - call order, recent calls and directory - favorites.
Of course, we changed the password , otherwise I would have to enter the serial number every time (yes, the primary password is the device serial number, this is written on one of the pages of the pood instruction).
Audio — mute key sounds, turn on a Polycom microphone.
Camera - I had to play around with the white balance. We set up a second source on the computer and left the remote control of the camera. At the same time, the camera was set to motion, and the computer - sharpness. What does this give? - A clearer transfer of a static image (for example, a table), but in the case of active movement in front of the camera - a more comfortable image transfer.
Network settings - they also set statics in order not to look for a device lost in the network, as well as use a static address for the address book.
I had to suffer with the settings of call preferences, dialing in the network , as a result, the first tiny instruction “not to forget” was invented.
Set up, played and led to the negotiation rooms of 2 cities. Immediately in the Exchange were set up meeting rooms for booking, sent out the first instructions for working with general calendars. But before delivering, they wondered: and how will people use it?
After reviewing the documentation on the manufacturer's website, they understood: there are 2 short documents of 2 pages each - using the remote control, using the device and TouchControl (which, by the way, has not yet been acquired). Total 4 pages in English. Very nice, even I would say great ... for those who know the language and can quickly figure out unfamiliar instructions from an unknown device, and even in English, but it is obvious that not our users. The complete user manual is 43 pages and is also not on the great and powerful. (now localized instructions have already appeared, but at that time it was sad with the support of the Russian language).
We looked at this case and were upset. As a result, an extremely microscopic 2-page manual with pictures and arrows was developed, which included only those functions that our employees would presumably need:
In the future, the size of the instructions in 2 pages a4 and remained so, despite the addition of new features.
There were practically no questions, which is a definite plus.
By the end of 2011, the number of devices reached 4 units and in early 2012 it was planned to purchase 3 more in existing offices, as well as to install a solution for multipoint conferencing, which I hope to talk about later. The use of video conferencing in meeting rooms averaged 50% of the total booking time, the number of business trips to discuss hourly issues has decreased.
Expanding the number of not very simple to configure and build devices also forced to sit down for documentation and standardization of settings.
Perhaps, if our supplier were different, we would not have to figure out half of the features using the method of magic spear and continuous tests. But there are not so many official distributors in Russia, and it is not always easy to find out the peculiarities of the work of supporting everyone.
Perhaps, if our supplier were different, we would not have stepped on a wild amount of rakes, about which I would also like to tell, but this also has its plus - knowledge.
Ps I think that the next article should be: "Polycom rake, and how we attacked them merrily."
Thanks to JaGoRcore for the article A quick guide to selecting a manufacturer of video conferencing on a comparative analysis of video conferencing systems, which gave me the idea to write on this topic in more detail from personal experience of deployment, configuration and administration.
In a series of articles I will try to tell you how the solution based on Polycom was deployed using the example of the organization where I work, from decentralized with 2 points to the present: 10 points, a multi-point communication center and a provisioning server, allowing another 100 users to connect to the soft client.
')
So, part 1 - 2011, from 2 to 4 points, a decentralized solution.
How we took root, how we expanded, how we trained and trained users.
Start: purchase of the first equipment, equipment
The year 2011 was pilot for launching this solution, in a few words it can be characterized: weak standardization of settings, almost undocumentedly, it works - do not touch it!
One fine summer day of the aforementioned year, the company where I at that time held the position of system administrator received as many as 2 devices (they are also called “codecs”) Polycom HDX 6000-720.
Also, except for codecs, the following set was purchased (for convenience, I publish full titles and comments):
- EagleEye QDX, shelf for mounting the camera on the wall / monitor / plasma
- Pac 710, steel shelf for stands and MF PF carts
- PFCUb Black, trolley with height and tilt adjustment for Flat-TV up to 90kg / 63 "
- Polycom SoundStation IP7000 (SIP), IP Conference Phone
In addition, it took, of course, the image display device itself: we took the LED TV. Initially, 40 ”was considered sufficient for a room of 20 square meters, the future showed that it was naive optimism, now the meeting rooms are equipped with plasmas of 55”.
As it turned out, the manufacturer does not add the following consumables to the kit by default:
- HDMI cable - HDMI 19M / 19M 1.5m
- VGA-VGA cable
- VGA-DVI adapter
I suspect that they can be ordered from the same distributor, but due to the nature of the company, we purchase them separately.
It turned out the minimum set costing about 400 thousand rubles. If they could have done without “extra accessories”, it turned out about 50 thousand rubles. cheaper. Amounts are indicated as exemplary, since it all depends on the dollar rate at the time of purchase (yes, that's right, do not be surprised) this month the figures are almost the same.
The total initial budget is 700-800 thousand rubles. for 2 devices (and one is pointless to take, if your video infrastructure is limited only by Skype). You can save on codecs and take Polycom HDX 4000, you can on a conference phone, you decide. We took just such a kit.
Basic configuration setting
I will describe briefly what exactly we configured on devices. A detailed description took me about 30 pages of instructions with screenshots for assembling, installing and setting up all this stuff, it happened after trial operation and not in 2011. If you wish, in one of the articles I will tell you what instructions, documents and materials I used to “cover” the process of transferring the service to another administrator.
By the way, everything is configured via the web interface, but the conference phone can be configured using the built-in keyboard.
Polycom SoundStation IP7000
On the conference phone, only SIP and a fixed IP address have been configured. On the first devices, the same address book was set up, but later they refused - users do not use it.
Polycom HDX 6000-720
Most of the settings are optional and customize to your taste and color.
For example, we have disabled the auto-answer for point-to-point. This unnerving users. And set: Display call duration - elapsed time, instead of the default.
Be sure to set up the main screen - call order, recent calls and directory - favorites.
Of course, we changed the password , otherwise I would have to enter the serial number every time (yes, the primary password is the device serial number, this is written on one of the pages of the pood instruction).
Audio — mute key sounds, turn on a Polycom microphone.
Camera - I had to play around with the white balance. We set up a second source on the computer and left the remote control of the camera. At the same time, the camera was set to motion, and the computer - sharpness. What does this give? - A clearer transfer of a static image (for example, a table), but in the case of active movement in front of the camera - a more comfortable image transfer.
Network settings - they also set statics in order not to look for a device lost in the network, as well as use a static address for the address book.
I had to suffer with the settings of call preferences, dialing in the network , as a result, the first tiny instruction “not to forget” was invented.
Users
Set up, played and led to the negotiation rooms of 2 cities. Immediately in the Exchange were set up meeting rooms for booking, sent out the first instructions for working with general calendars. But before delivering, they wondered: and how will people use it?
After reviewing the documentation on the manufacturer's website, they understood: there are 2 short documents of 2 pages each - using the remote control, using the device and TouchControl (which, by the way, has not yet been acquired). Total 4 pages in English. Very nice, even I would say great ... for those who know the language and can quickly figure out unfamiliar instructions from an unknown device, and even in English, but it is obvious that not our users. The complete user manual is 43 pages and is also not on the great and powerful. (now localized instructions have already appeared, but at that time it was sad with the support of the Russian language).
We looked at this case and were upset. As a result, an extremely microscopic 2-page manual with pictures and arrows was developed, which included only those functions that our employees would presumably need:
- How to dial another meeting room from the catalog
- How to dial a city / cell and connect to a video conference
- How to display content from a laptop
- How to control your camera and the remote side
In the future, the size of the instructions in 2 pages a4 and remained so, despite the addition of new features.
There were practically no questions, which is a definite plus.
Total
By the end of 2011, the number of devices reached 4 units and in early 2012 it was planned to purchase 3 more in existing offices, as well as to install a solution for multipoint conferencing, which I hope to talk about later. The use of video conferencing in meeting rooms averaged 50% of the total booking time, the number of business trips to discuss hourly issues has decreased.
Expanding the number of not very simple to configure and build devices also forced to sit down for documentation and standardization of settings.
Perhaps, if our supplier were different, we would not have to figure out half of the features using the method of magic spear and continuous tests. But there are not so many official distributors in Russia, and it is not always easy to find out the peculiarities of the work of supporting everyone.
Perhaps, if our supplier were different, we would not have stepped on a wild amount of rakes, about which I would also like to tell, but this also has its plus - knowledge.
Ps I think that the next article should be: "Polycom rake, and how we attacked them merrily."
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/201800/
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