SMART Technologies Bridgit 3 User guide

Brand: SMART Technologies

Model: Bridgit 3

Type: User guide

Installation

Guide

conferencing software

Trademark Notice

Bridgit, smarttech, SMART Board and the SMART logo are either

trademarks or registered trademarks of SMART Technologies

ULC. in the U.S. and/or other countries. Windows is either a

registered trademark or a trademark of Microsoft Corporation

in the U.S. and/or other countries. Macintosh is a trademark of

Apple Computer Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries.

projectiondesign is a trademark of projectiondesign Norway as.

All other third-party product and company names may be

trademarks of their respective owners.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, transmitted,

transcribed, stored in a retrieval system or translated into any

language in any form by any means without the prior written

consent of SMART. Information in this manual is subject to

change without notice and does not represent a committment

on the part of SMART. Patents pending.

This product includes software developed by The OpenSSL Project.

Portions of this product were created using CAMTASIA OEM SDK.

This product includes the Spidermonkey JavaScript interpreter,

which is code covered by the Netscape Public License, v1.1. The

original code is available from www.mozilla.org.

Audio licensed from Global IP Sound Inc. Portions Copyright

IP Sound, GIPS, SoundWare, NetEQ, iPCM, iSAC and iLBC are

trademarks owned or used under license by Global IP Sound Inc.

Patents Pending, Global IP Sound Inc. www.globalipsound.com

If you have any questions about what constitutes legal use of this

product, please consult the license agreement that came with your

original software, or contact SMART Technologies.

Version 3.4. Printed in Canada 10/2008

99-00426-08 REV B0 Table of Contents i

Table of Contents

Introducing Bridgit™ Software 1

Bridgit Software Services.............................................................1

Bridgit Software Administration Tools.......................................... 1

Server Clusters ............................................................................1

Minimum Server Requirements 2

Bridgit Server Software Port Configuration 3

Installing Bridgit Software 4

Starting the Bridgit Software Installation...................................... 4

Installing a Master Server ............................................................ 4

Installing a Conference Server ....................................................6

Managing Software Licenses 9

Activating the Server License ......................................................9

Activating User Licenses ........................................................... 11

Removing Server or User Licenses ...........................................12

Viewing Status Information 13

Viewing Active Conferences...................................................... 13

Viewing Server Performance Information .................................. 15

Viewing Server Usage Reports.................................................. 15

Configuring the Master Server 17

Assigning Conference Viewing Passwords ............................... 17

Assigning Conference Creation Passwords ..............................18

Assigning a Clustering Authentication Password ...................... 19

Assigning an Administrator Access Password...........................20

Assigning an Application Programming Interface (API) Authentication

Password ...................................................................................20

Disabling Remote Control.......................................................... 21

Disabling Conference Audio ...................................................... 21

ii Table of Contents 99-00426-08 REV B0

Disabling Webcams ...................................................................22

Disabling Text Chat....................................................................22

Adding a Message of the Day....................................................23

Changing Master Server Setup Options ....................................23

Configuring Conference Servers 25

Changing the Clustering Authentication Password....................25

Changing Conference Server Setup Options.............................26

Managing Servers and Conferences 27

Placing a Server On Hold and Reactivating It............................27

Ending a Conference .................................................................27

Starting, Stopping, Pausing and Restarting Bridgit Software Services28

Distributing Bridgit Software Client 29

Customizing the Bridgit Software Web Page .............................29

Communications Security Overview 30

Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) Standard (Version 3.0) ................30

Certificates .................................................................................30

Contacting SMART 31

Online Support ...........................................................................31

Training ......................................................................................31

Contacting SMART Technical Support ......................................31

General Inquiries........................................................................31

Registration................................................................................32

Sending Feedback .....................................................................32

Index 33

99-00426-08 REV B0 Introducing Bridgit™ Software 1

Introducing Bridgit™ Software

Bridgit conferencing software is a client/server application used for sharing

applications and information with anyone, anywhere in the world. This

guide explains how to install, configure and maintain Bridgit servers. For

information about Bridgit software client, refer to its online Help.

Bridgit Software Services

Bridgit server software includes two services:

• The master server service manages the list of active conferences and

balances the user load on the conference servers.

• The conference server service transmits conference data between the

server and its clients.

Bridgit Software Administration Tools

Bridgit server software also includes an Administration Tools application.

You can use Bridgit Software Administration Tools to configure servers and

monitor their performance, manage your Bridgit software licenses and

change password, sharing and remote control settings.

When you install Bridgit software on a master or conference server, a

shortcut to Bridgit Software Administration Tools appears on the desktop.

Server Clusters

Bridgit software is scalable. By default, a master server installation includes

a conference server. Both are necessary on the master server. You can

create a server cluster by adding more conference servers. The master

server balances the load of conferences and traffic across the conference

server cluster.

Before you can add conference servers to a cluster, you must assign a

clustering authentication password on the master server (see page 19).

You’ll use this password each time you install an additional conference

server.

2 Minimum Server Requirements 99-00426-08 REV B0

Minimum Server Requirements

The maximum number of users that a server can support is constrained by

both the server hardware and the bandwidth available to that server. Each

speaker in a conference uses about 30 kilobits per second (Kbps);

therefore, a 100 Mb network supports 200 users with the standard quality

settings applied. The exact number of users supported may vary

depending on the available bandwidth. Allowing more than the

recommended number of simultaneous users may negatively impact

performance. To support more users, cluster your servers.

Your system performs best if you use a fast server or one with no other

applications installed.

In addition, each server must meet the following minimum requirements:

• Pentium III 500 MHz processor (or equivalent)

• Windows® 2000, Windows XP or Windows Server 2003 operating

system

• 256 MB RAM

NOTE: For more information, see document 112438

,“Bridgit™

Conferencing Software: Security, Firewalls, Bandwidth and Scalability.”

99-00426-08 REV B0 Bridgit Server Software Port Configuration 3

Bridgit Server Software Port Configuration

For optimal performance, it’s important to configure your firewall ports

correctly. Enable both primary and secondary port TCP connections and a

UDP connection for audio on the server.

Enabling the secondary TCP port is important because port 80 (the default

primary port) is commonly restricted to HTTP traffic only. Although Bridgit

software clients can connect through port 80 using HTTP, performance will

suffer. Enabling the secondary port allows an alternate connection that

doesn’t compromise performance.

Wherever you install the Bridgit server on your network, you must ensure

that both the primary and secondary ports are open for incoming TCP

connections. We recommend that you don’t use protocol filtering for these

ports. However, you can restrict port 80 to HTTP if you keep the secondary

port unrestricted.

You can also disable the secondary port feature entirely, but some clients

may experience poor performance.

Whenever possible, Bridgit software uses a UDP network connection to

transmit conference audio to minimize lag in a timing-sensitive

environment. If you choose to enable a UDP connection, you must ensure

that the range of UDP ports you’ve chosen is open for incoming and

outgoing traffic on your firewall.

If you don’t configure your server to allow UDP connections, Bridgit

software automatically switches to a TCP connection for conference audio.

However, a TCP connection’s additional overhead can cause poor

conference audio performance and increased audio lag.

4 Installing Bridgit Software 99-00426-08 REV B0

Installing Bridgit Software

Starting the Bridgit Software Installation

1. Download Bridgit software from www.smarttech.com/bridgit/downloads,

and then double-click the BridgitConferenceSoftware.exe file that you

saved.

Install the software using your Bridgit software CD. Installation should

start automatically. However, if it doesn’t automatically start, navigate to

the CD folder and double-click Setup.exe.

The Conferencing Software - Installshield Wizard opens and displays

the licence agreement.

2. Read the license agreement, and if you agree, accept the agreement.

3. Choose one of the following installation options:

– Master Server. The master server manages the list of active

conferences and balances the user load on the conference servers.

All Bridgit software clusters must have one master server.

NOTE: The master server installation automatically includes a

conference server. Both are necessary on the master server.

– Conference Server. The conference server service manages data

for individual conferences. Install one or more conference server(s)

only if you’re creating a Bridgit software cluster on multiple server

computers.

Installing a Master Server

1. Choose the folder you want to install Bridgit software to (the default is

C:\Program Files\Bridgit).

2. Customize the master server’s basic configuration:

a. IPv4 address and IPv6 address. The installation software detects all

IP addresses assigned to the server. To use all the addresses, select

All in the IPv4 address or IPv6 address boxes.

To install master server software

99-00426-08 REV B0 Installing Bridgit Software 5

If you select all addresses, Bridgit software clients can use any IP

address assigned to the server computer to contact the Bridgit server.

To restrict the IP addresses through which your server is reachable,

select a specific IP address.

b. Public domain name. The master server and all the conference

servers each require a fully qualified domain name (for example,

server.company.com or conference.company.com).

NOTE: If you use the computer’s name as the domain name, the

server will be accessible only from within the local area network.

Internet users won’t have access to the server. Do not mix fully

qualified domain names and computer names within the same server

cluster.

c. Primary TCP port. By default, the master server uses port 80 as its

primary port. If your server is running another application that uses

port 80, you must assign Bridgit software to an unoccupied port.

Configure your firewall to allow incoming and outgoing TCP traffic on

your chosen port.

NOTE: If you configure Bridgit server software to use a TCP port that

isn’t the default, users must specify the port when connecting to the

server. For example, to connect to a Bridgit software server on port

8080, users must type server.company.com:8080.

d. Enable secondary TCP port. By default, the master server uses port

9933. If you want to use a different port, make sure it doesn’t conflict

with any other applications running on the server computer.

e. Enable UDP ports (audio optimization). Whenever possible, Bridgit

software uses UDP for audio transmission to avoid the additional

overhead of TCP in a timing-sensitive situation. We strongly

recommend that you enable UDP to minimize audio lag in Bridgit

conferences.

You must open this range of UDP ports on your firewall to use this

feature.

f. Conference viewing password. Assign a conference viewing

password if you want users to type a password before they can view

the list of active conferences on a server.

NOTE: After you’ve installed Bridgit server software, you can use

Bridgit Software Administration Tools to create as many additional

conference viewing passwords as you want.

6 Installing Bridgit Software 99-00426-08 REV B0

g. Conference creation password. Assign a conference creation

password if you want users to type a password before they can create

a conference. Users who type the conference creation password can

also see the list of active conferences on the server.

NOTE: After you’ve installed Bridgit server software, you can use

Bridgit Software Administration Tools to create as many additional

conference viewing passwords as you want.

3. Click Finish to complete the installation process.

Master server installation adds the Bridgit Master Service and Bridgit

Conference Service, and configures them to automatically start when the

computer starts. See Starting, Stopping, Pausing and Restarting Bridgit

Software Services on page 28 for information on controlling the services

using the Windows services adminstration console.

After you finish the installation process, use Bridgit Software Administration

Tools to activate the server software, install user licenses, change the

server settings and view performance information.

Installing a Conference Server

1. Choose the folder you want to install Bridgit software (the default is

C:\Program Files\Bridgit).

2. Customize the master server’s basic configuration:

a. Master server IP address. Enter the master server’s IP address

here. This address is defined in the master server’s configuration.

IMPORTANT The Bridgit software installation includes a 30-day

evaluation license for five concurrent users.

See Managing Software Licenses on page 9 for

information on installing and activating server and user

licenses.

IMPORTANT Before you can install a conference server, you must

install a master server and define the clustering

authentication password using Bridgit Software

Administration Tools on the master server (see Assigning

a Clustering Authentication Password on page 19).

99-00426-08 REV B0 Installing Bridgit Software 7

b. Master server primary port. Change this setting only if you’ve

changed the master server’s primary port from the default (port 80).

c. Clustering authentication password. To join an existing Bridgit

software cluster, you must type the clustering authentication

password that’s been assigned on the master server (see Assigning a

Clustering Authentication Password on page 19).

d. IPv4 address and IPv6 address. The installation software detects all

IP addresses assigned to the server. To use all the addresses, select

All in the IPv4 address or IPv6 address boxes.

If you select all addresses, Bridgit software clients can use any IP

address assigned to the server computer to contact the Bridgit server.

To restrict the IP addresses through which your server is reachable,

select a specific IP address.

e. Public domain name. Conference servers require their own fully

qualified domain names (for example, server.company.com or

conference.company.com).

NOTE: If you use the computer name for the domain name, the

server will be accessible only from within the local area network.

Internet users won’t have access to the server. Do not mix fully

qualified domain names and computer names within the same server

cluster.

f. Primary TCP port. By default, the master server uses port 80 as its

primary port. If your server is running another application that uses

port 80, you must assign Bridgit software to an unoccupied port.

Configure your firewall to allow incoming and outgoing TCP traffic on

your chosen port.

NOTE: If you configure Bridgit server software to use a TCP port that

isn’t the default, users must specify the port when connecting to the

server. For example, to connect to a Bridgit software server on port

8080, users must type server.company.com:8080.

g. Secondary TCP port. By default, the conference server uses port

9933. If you wish to use a different port, you must make sure that it

doesn’t conflict with any other applications on the server computer.

h. Audio UDP Ports. UDP ports are configured on the master server

Changing Master Server Setup Options on page 23.

8 Installing Bridgit Software 99-00426-08 REV B0

3. Click Finish to complete the installation process.

Conference server installation adds the Bridgit Conference Service and

configures it to automatically start when the computer starts. See Starting,

Stopping, Pausing and Restarting Bridgit Software Services on page 28 for

information on controlling the service using the Windows services

adminstration console.

After you finish the installation process, use Bridgit Software Administration

Tools to activate the server software, install user licenses, change the

server settings and view performance information.

IMPORTANT The Bridgit software installation includes a 30-day

evaluation license for five concurrent users.

See Managing Software Licenses on page 9 for

information on installing and activating server and user

licenses.

99-00426-08 REV B0 Managing Software Licenses 9

Managing Software Licenses

During the 30-day free evaluation period, the server allows five concurrent

user connections. After the evaluation version expires, users can no longer

conduct conferences on the server.

To continue using Bridgit software, purchase the software before the

evaluation period expires. Visit www.smarttech.com/where to find out

where you can buy Bridgit server software and concurrent user licenses.

After you place an order, you’ll receive an e-mail that includes serial

numbers for activating the server software and user licenses.

Five concurrent users can connect to a Bridgit software conference using a

single server license. To allow more than five concurrent users, you must

purchase additional user licenses.

Activating the Server License

NOTE: If you upgrade from Bridgit software version 2 to version 3, your

version 2 licenses continue to work with Bridgit software version 3.

However, Bridgit software’s audio features (which are new to version 3)

aren’t available. To enable the audio features after you upgrade to version

3, purchase a Bridgit software audio upgrade license from your SMART

authorized reseller.

1. Open Bridgit Software Administration Tools on the master server.

2. Click the Licensing tab.

3. In the Conference Servers table, select the server you want to activate.

4. Click the Install Server License button.

5. Type your serial number in the Serial number box, and then click OK.

NOTE: Your serial number appears in the “Sales Order Confirmation”

e-mail you received from SMART Technologies when you purchased the

license.

After you activate the serial number, your license information appears in

the Licenses for selected server table and Server License Status changes

to Activated.

To automatically activate the server license

10 Managing Software Licenses 99-00426-08 REV B0

Bridgit conferencing software uses a Web service to automatically activate

your Bridgit server license. If the service isn’t available or if another error

occurs, you must manually activate the license.

1. Right-click the server you wish to activate in the Licenses for selected

server table, and then select Activate.

2. Select Activate manually, and then click Continue.

A Manual Activation dialog box appears.

3. Click the To automatically generate an e-mail link.

Your default e-mail software opens a new message addressed to

[email protected]. The message contains your serial number and

installation ID that a Technical Support technician uses to create your

activation key.

4. Send the e-mail. A support technician will send a reply e-mail with your

activation key within 24 hours.

5. If you’re not connected to the Internet, or if e-mail isn’t available, click

the If an e-mail does not appear link.

A Manual Activation Assistance dialog box appears with SMART

Technical Support telephone contact information, your serial number

and your installation ID. When you call Technical Support, provide the

support technician with these two numbers.

6. When you receive an activation key, type it in the Activation key box

and click OK.

After you activate the serial number, your license information appears in

the Licenses for selected server table and Server License Status

changes to Activated.

To manually activate the server license

99-00426-08 REV B0 Managing Software Licenses 11

Activating User Licenses

1. Open Bridgit Software Administration Tools on the master server.

2. Click the Licensing tab.

3. In the Conference Servers table, select the server you want to activate.

4. Click the Install User Licenses button.

5. Type your serial number in the Serial number box, and then click OK.

NOTE: Your serial number appears in the “Sales Order Confirmation”

e-mail you received from SMART Technologies when you purchased the

user licenses.

After you activate the serial number, your user license information appears

in the Licenses for selected server table and User Licenses changes to

Activated.

Bridgit conferencing software uses a Web service to automatically activate

your Bridgit server license. If the service isn’t available or if another error

occurs, you must manually activate the license.

1. Right-click the server you wish to activate in the Licenses for selected

server table, and then select Activate.

2. Select Activate manually, and then click Continue.

A Manual Activation dialog box appears.

3. Click the To automatically generate an e-mail link.

Your default e-mail software opens a new message addressed to

[email protected]. The message contains your serial number and

installation ID that a Technical Support technician uses to create your

activation key.

To automatically activate user licenses

To manually activate user licenses

12 Managing Software Licenses 99-00426-08 REV B0

4. Send the e-mail. A support technician will send a reply e-mail with your

activation key within 24 hours.

5. If you’re not connected to the Internet, or if e-mail isn’t available, click

the If an e-mail does not appear link.

A Manual Activation Assistance dialog box appears with SMART

Technical Support telephone contact information, your serial number

and your installation ID. When you call Technical Support, provide the

support technician with these two numbers.

6. When you receive an activation key, type it in the Activation key box,

and then click OK.

After you activate the serial number, license information appears in the

Licenses for selected server table and User Licenses changes to

Activated.

Removing Server or User Licenses

If you remove a server license or a bundle of user licenses, the serial

number(s) remain valid and you can add them again at any time.

1. Open Bridgit Software Administration Tools on the master server.

2. Right-click the licence you want to remove in the Licenses for selected

server table, and then select Delete.

A confirmation dialog box appears.

3. Click OK.

To remove server or user licenses

99-00426-08 REV B0 Viewing Status Information 13

Viewing Status Information

Use Bridgit Software Administration Tools to view status information for

Bridgit software, including active conferences, server performance and

server usage.

NOTE: Status information on a conference server applies to that server

only, while status information on the master server displays information for

all servers in a Bridgit software cluster.

Viewing Active Conferences

1. Open Bridgit Software Administration Tools on either the master server

or a conference server.

2. Click the Conferences tab.

A table of active conferences appears. The table includes the following

information:

– when the conference was created.

– the conference’s name.

– who created the conference.

– the number of participants.

– the conference server’s domain name.

To view active conferences

14 Viewing Status Information 99-00426-08 REV B0

1. Open Bridgit Software Administration Tools on either the master server

or a conference server.

2. Click the Conferences tab.

3. Select the conference to which you want to broadcast a message.

4. Click the Send Message button.

5. Type the message you want to broadcast in the Message box.

6. Click OK.

A dialog box containing your message appears on the screen of each

conference participant.

1. Open Bridgit Software Administration Tools on either the master server

or a conference server.

2. Click the Conferences tab.

3. Select the conference you want to terminate.

4. Click the End Conference button.

5. If you want to broadcast a message to conference participants as the

conference ends, type it in the Message box.

6. Click OK.

A notification dialog box and your message (if applicable) appears on

the screen of each conference participant, and the conference ends.

To broadcast a message to all conference participants

To terminate a conference

99-00426-08 REV B0 Viewing Status Information 15

Viewing Server Performance Information

1. Open Bridgit Software Administration Tools on either the master server

or a conference server.

2. Click the Performance tab.

A detailed system performance summary appears. The table includes

the following information:

– conference server IP address and domain name.

– conference traffic measured in kilobits per second (Kbps).

– the number of active conferences.

– the number of users connected (and the total number of licenses).

– The server’s status, which can include the following:

Viewing Server Usage Reports

Bridgit software automatically creates a server usage report for each

conference server and saves the report in a file named

BridgitActivityLog.txt in the Bridgit software installation folder on the

conference server.

NOTE: If you edit the Bridgit activity log file the Bridgit software logging

service may become unstable.

You can control how long the log stores information about server usage

using the Logs purged after box. The default value is 30 days, which

means that log entries older than 30 days are automatically deleted from

the log. You can enter any setting between 1 and 120 days.

You can also save the server usage report as a text file for the entire period

or for a range of dates you select.

Status Description

Alive The server is active and users can connect.

Offline

The conference server isn’t connected to the master

server. Users can’t connect to this server.

On Hold

An Administrator has placed the server on hold

(see Placing a Server On Hold and Reactivating It on

page 27).

16 Viewing Status Information 99-00426-08 REV B0

1. Open Bridgit Software Administration Tools on either the master server

or a conference server.

2. Click the Report tab.

A server usage report for the current week appears.

3. To view a report that spans a different period, select the Report start

date and Report end date that you want, and then click the Refresh

button.

A comprehensive server usage report appears for the period you select.

1. Open Bridgit Software Administration Tools on either the master server

or a conference server.

2. Click the Report tab.

A server usage report for the current week appears.

3. In the server usage report, select the entries you’d like to save to a text

file.

Select no entries if you want to save the entire report.

4. Click the Save Report button.

A Save As dialog box appears.

5. Choose a file name and destination for the report text file, and click OK.

To view server usage reports

To save a server usage report as a text file

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SMART Technologies Bridgit 3 User guide

SMART Technologies Bridgit 3 User guide

SMART Technologies Bridgit 3 User guide

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