Introduction

JVCS-Check (the JANET Videoconferencing Service-Check) is an easy to use online tool which provides an instant audio and video assessment facility for IP-based (H.323) videoconferencing endpoints.
A typical JVCS-Check assessment session takes just over ten minutes to complete and consists of ten sections, each introduced by a technical summary from a recorded presenter:

• 15 second countdown clock to allow users to prepare for the assessment
• welcome message
• introduction of audio level assessment and un-muting of microphones
• performing audio level assessment
• background noise level assessment
• receive audio and video subjective assessment
• transmit video subjective assessment
• display network statistics from multipoint control unit
• display network statistics by endpoint
• concluding message

Further information can be found at the JVCS-Check homepage: https://community.ja.net/library/janet-services-documentation/6-jvcs-check

Registration

To use JVCS-Check, you must first become a registered user of the Booking Service. Registration forms are available from the JVCS-Check homepage.
You will be sent your login details by e-mail after you have registered successfully.

Login

On the JVCS-Check homepage, under How to Access JVCS-Check, click either the Login to JVCS Booking Service. You will be presented with the login page for that service. Enter your user name in the form of your e-mail address and your password, then click on the Login button to enter the homepage of the selected service (see Figures 1 and 2).

Launch a JVCS-Check Videoconference

From either homepage, click on a JVCS-Check hyperlink to enter the JVCS-Check call setup page (Figure 3. Note: this page will look slightly different if you have logged on from the JVCS Booking Service).

This page is divided into four parts:

• conference details
• conference participants
• advanced settings
• launch videoconference

You must enter your videoconference details as described below before clicking on the Launch videoconference button to begin a JVCS-Check assessment session.

Conference Details

As a JVCS-Check videoconference has a pre-defined length of just over ten minutes, the conference details are set automatically. You are not required to enter any information.
Conference Participants

An endpoint called JVCS-Check will be added to your videoconference automatically. You need to add the endpoint you wish to assess. This can be done in two ways:

Add Favourite

The Add Favourite button will be greyed out if you have not saved any endpoints to your Favourites list.

However, if you have such a list, click on the Add Favourite button to enter the Add Favourite page (Figure 4. Note: this page will look slightly different if you have logged on from the JVCS Booking Service). Select the relevant endpoint and click on the Add to List button.

Add Endpoint

The Add Endpoint button takes you to the Add Endpoints page (Figure 5. Note: this page will look slightly different if you have logged on from the JVCS Booking Service). This page allows you to add your endpoint to the videoconference from a list of registered endpoints.

You can search for endpoints by entering any part of an endpoint name in the Name containing box and clicking on the Find button. From the Found Endpoints list, highlight the endpoint you wish to assess and then click the Add to List button.

Note 1
When searching for endpoints do not hit the return key on your keyboard. This will take you back to the JVCS-Check call setup page.

Note 2
You can add participants to your Favourites List by clicking on the Favourites button or you can delete participants from your videoconference by clicking on the Waste Bin button (see Figure 6).

Advanced Settings

Changes to the parameters already set should only be carried out by technically aware users. The VTAS (Video Technology Advisory Service) website provides comprehensive information on all the protocols involved in H.323 videoconferencing: https://community.ja.net/library/advisory-services/video-technology-advisory-service

In most cases you can ignore the Advanced Settings section and proceed to launch your videoconference call by clicking on the Launch videoconference button (see Figure 3).
If you do need to change the conference parameters from the default settings, click the Conference options button. You will be presented with a new page, where you can change the video protocol, audio protocol and line rate for your video call (Figure 7). You may wish to change these settings because your endpoint cannot automatically negotiate these protocols or because you wish to test a specific protocol or line rate. The video protocol can be set to H.261 or H.263. The audio protocol can be set to G.711, G.722 or G.728. Options for line rate are available between 128k and 1920k. Click on the Update options button to implement the changes.

Figure 7 - Advanced Settings

Launch Videoconference

You can now launch your JVCS-Check videoconference by clicking on the Launch videoconference button at the bottom of the page (see Figure 3).

If JVCS-Check is already in use, you will see the following error message (Figure 8).

Click on the Search for availability button to find an available slot for JVCS-Check by specifying date and time.

If JVCS-Check is not in use, your endpoint will be connected immediately to the JVCS-Check endpoint and a recorded presenter will guide you through the sessions involved in a JVCS-Check video call.

At the same time, a page entitled Commit reservation will appear automatically on your computer monitor (Figure 9).

The Commit reservation page is divided into two parts:

• information relating to your conference
• management options

Information relating to your conference

Reference

Your video call is assigned a reference number automatically. The reference number consists of two characters followed by a six digit number.

Name

Your video call is automatically assigned a name. The name consists of your video call reference number followed by your JVCS-OnDemand user name.

Ends

This informs you of the date and time that your video call finishes.

Settings

This indicates the settings applied to your video call and consists of the video protocol type, audio rate, rate (the speed at which conference is running) and conference type.

Endpoint Information

This provides a list of the endpoints in your videoconference and the video protocol and line rate negotiated between them.

Management Options

Manage videoconference

This option is explained in the Manage a JVCS-Check Videoconference section of this user guide.

Home

Clicking on the Home hyperlink will take you to the JVCS-OnDemand homepage.
If you are in the middle of performing a task when you click the Home hyperlink, you will be taken to a new page where you must click the Confirm button to return to the homepage.

Logout

Clicking on the Logout hyperlink will take you to the Login page.
If you are in the middle of performing a task when you click on the Logout hyperlink, you will be taken to a new page where you must click the Confirm Logout button to return to the Login page.

Note

Should any step be completed incorrectly, an error message will appear at the top of the page when the user tries to go on to the next step. This will be highlighted by a red triangle . You will then be able to alter the incorrect or missing information before proceeding.

Manage a JVCS-Check Videoconference

Click on the Manage videoconference hyperlink in the Commit reservation page to manage your JVCS-Check video call. This page (Figure 10) provides you with a summary of the conference details and the media and network statistics for your endpoint and for the JVCS-Check endpoint

The recorded presenter who guides you through the JVCS-Check session will explain what these statistics mean in relation to your videoconference link.

Further Information

Support homepage: https://community.ja.net/library/janet-services-documentation/support-3

VTAS homepage: https://community.ja.net/library/advisory-services/video-technology-advisory-service
Booking Service homepage: www.ja.net/bookvc