Microsoft NetMeeting 2.11 is a powerful application that supports real-time communication and collaboration over the Internet or intranet, providing standards-based audio, video, and multipoint data conferencing support. From a desktop running Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows NT 4.0, you can communicate over the network with real-time voice and video technology. You can share data and information with many people using true application sharing, electronic whiteboard, text-based chat, and file-transfer features.
Connecting to other NetMeeting users is also made easy with the Microsoft Internet Locator Server (ILS), which enables participants to call each other from a dynamic directory within NetMeeting or from a Web page.
The Microsoft NetMeeting Current Call window is shown in the following illustration.
Designed for corporate communication, NetMeeting supports international communication standards for audio, video, and data conferencing. People can use NetMeeting to connect by modem, Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN), or local area network by using Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP), and communicate and collaborate with users of NetMeeting and other standards-based, compatible products. In addition, support for custom settings in NetMeeting makes it easy for users to centrally control and manage the NetMeeting work environment.
The Microsoft NetMeeting 2.1 Software Development Kit enables developers to integrate NetMeeting conferencing functionality directly into their applications or Web pages. This open development environment supports international communication and conferencing standards and provides interoperability with products and services from multiple vendors.
As the leading Internet conferencing solution, NetMeeting has become the key building block for vendors of conferencing products and services. NetMeeting 2.11, the most recent product release, is designed to support new technology featured in Windows 98, including Microsoft DirectX® 5, Universal Serial Bus (USB) video cameras, and the new video device driver model. NetMeeting 2.11 is packaged as part of Windows 98, but it is also designed to run as a stand-alone product on Windows 95 and Windows NT 4.0 (with Service Pack 3 and later) operating systems.
NetMeeting 2.11 is fully compatible with NetMeeting 1.0 and 2.0, and with applications and solutions that use the NetMeeting SDK for the Windows 95 operating system. With its first release, NetMeeting 1.0 transformed the everyday telephone call into a richer and more effective communication tool. For the first time, people could use voice communication to interact and collaborate over the Internet. Also, this product was the first to introduce multipoint data conferencing capabilities based on the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) T.120 standard.
NetMeeting 2.0 was the next major release of this award-winning multimedia communication client. Building on NetMeeting 1.0 audio and data conferencing capabilities, NetMeeting 2.0 integrated a number of new features and provided improved functionality and an enhanced user interface.
The following sections describe the key features of NetMeeting 2.11.
Real-time, point-to-point audio conferencing over the Internet or corporate intranet enables you to make voice calls to associates and organizations around the world. NetMeeting audio conferencing offers many features, including half-duplex and full-duplex audio support for real-time conversations, automatic sensitivity-level settings for microphones to ensure that meeting participants hear each other clearly, and microphone muting, which enables you to control the audio signal sent during a call. NetMeeting audio-conferencing supports network TCP/IP connections.
The H.323 protocol provides interoperability between NetMeeting and other H.323-compatible audio clients. The H.323 protocol supports the ITU G.711 and G.723 audio standards and Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) Real-Time Protocol (RTP) and Real-Time Control Protocol (RTCP) specifications for controlling audio flow to improve voice quality. On multimedia extensions (MMX)-enabled computers, NetMeeting uses the MMX-enabled audio codecs to improve performance for audio compression and decompression algorithms. This capability results in lower CPU use and improved audio quality during a call.
NetMeeting 2.11 infrastructure changes improve interoperability with new H.323 devices, including gateways and Multipoint Conferencing Units (MCUs). These changes include the ability to initiate a call by using the H.323 calling model rather than the T.120 calling model. You will not notice any visible differences resulting from these internal NetMeeting changes, although connections may occur more quickly in some cases.
NetMeeting enables you to send and receive real-time visual images with another conference participant using any video for Windows-compatible equipment. You can share ideas and information face-to-face, and use the camera to instantly view items, such as hardware or devices, that you choose to display in front of the lens. Combined with the audio and data capabilities of NetMeeting, you can both see and hear the other conference participant, as well as share information and applications. This H.323 standard-based video technology is also compliant with the H.261 and H.263 video codecs.
NetMeeting video conferencing includes the following features:
NetMeeting features intelligent control of the audio and video stream, which automatically balances the load for network bandwidth, CPU use, and memory use. This intelligent stream control ensures that audio, video, and data are prioritized properly so that NetMeeting maintains high-quality audio while transmitting and receiving data and video during a call. Using NetMeeting custom settings, IT organizations can configure the stream control services to limit the bandwidth used for audio and video for each client during a meeting.
Two or more users can communicate and collaborate as a group in real time. They can share applications, exchange information through a shared clipboard, transfer files, collaborate on a shared whiteboard, and use a text-based chat feature. Also, the T.120 data conferencing standard provides interoperability with other T.120-based products and services.
The following features characterize multipoint data conferencing:
The person sharing the application can choose to collaborate with other conference participants, and can take turns editing or controlling the application. Only the person sharing the application needs to have the given application installed.
Replacing the NetMeeting 1.0 User Location Service (ULS), the Microsoft Internet Locator Server (ILS) for NetMeeting expands existing server technology to provide more advanced directory services, higher scalability, and better performance standards (such as LDAP). ILS enables you to locate other people for conferencing. You can view the ILS directory from within NetMeeting or a Web page and review a list of people currently running NetMeeting. Then, you can choose to connect to one or more of the listed users or select another user by typing the user's location information. For more information about ILS, see the Microsoft BackOffice Web site.
NetMeeting can detect whether a server is available and automatically attempt to log on in the background, without user intervention. If you log off and then log on again later, NetMeeting automatically connects to the specified ILS.
LDAP is an Internet standard that defines the protocol for directory access. NetMeeting uses LDAP to access the ILS and perform server transactions, including logging on and off, creating a directory listing of all available users, and resolving a particular user's address information, such as the IP address. This standards-based approach to directories facilitates interoperability and allows organizations to implement compatible servers.
Windows NT 4.0 users can communicate and collaborate with each other, with NetMeeting 1.0 users, and with NetMeeting users running the Windows 95 operating system. The functionality of NetMeeting, including audio, video, and multi-user data conferencing for electronic whiteboard, text-based chat, and file transfer, is supported for Windows NT 4.0. Windows NT Service Pack 3 is required for a Windows NT 4.0 user to share applications.
DirectX is a set of technologies that provide faster access to hardware in Windows. DirectX 5, the latest version of DirectX, is available for Windows 95 and Windows 98. Installing the Microsoft DirectSound® component of DirectX 5 on your computer (with a compatible audio device) significantly speeds up sending or receiving audio over the Internet using NetMeeting. For example, Microsoft testing of a typical audio scenario in NetMeeting 2.0 showed an average delay of 590 milliseconds (ms) end-to-end. However, using NetMeeting 2.11 and DirectSound, the same scenario resulted in an average delay of 160 ms end-to-end.
DirectSound replaces your existing sound card driver with a new DirectX driver. The new DirectX driver supports DirectSound record and playback APIs (and also supports the existing driver functions). You can install the DirectSound component of DirectX 5 from the Microsoft NetMeeting Web site.
Because DirectX drivers are often installed with games, you may already have DirectX capabilities. You must upgrade to DirectX 5, though, because earlier versions of DirectX do not support NetMeeting 2.11.
Note Some DirectX sound drivers do not support full-duplex audio. When you upgrade your existing driver to a DirectSound driver, you may lose this capability. Removing DirectX restores your original configuration with full-duplex audio.
Custom settings can be used to control access to NetMeeting components and features. These settings provide a standard configuration for the user community. For example, custom settings can prevent the use of audio and video features or limit the network bandwidth for audio and video streams. The NetMeeting Resource Kit wizard, Internet Explorer Customization wizard, and System Policy Editor all provide ways to configure these custom settings. To learn more about using the Customization wizard to preconfigure NetMeeting custom settings, see Appendix E, "Setting System Policies and Restrictions."
One of the goals of NetMeeting is to enhance the existing user interface so that features are easier to locate, view, and use. Enhancements focus on these areas:
NetMeeting includes a mail extension that works with Microsoft Outlook and Exchange e-mail clients, enabling you to place a call directly from a menu in the e-mail client based on entries in the mail address book. This feature gives you the flexibility to use your e-mail client to send a message or start a real-time meeting from the same mail address book. A NetMeeting custom setting enables you to specify the Exchange attribute for the NetMeeting address.
A new Outlook bar gives NetMeeting a look and feel that is consistent with Microsoft Outlook 97 and Outlook Express. This Outlook bar provides easy access to frequently used NetMeeting features, including the Directory, SpeedDial, Current Call, and History lists.
Additional information about NetMeeting is available from the Microsoft NetMeeting Web site.
