EVO Helpdesk Support Information

Getting Started

Prerequisites

Supported Platforms

EVO works under Windows 2000/XP/Vista, Linux, Mac OS X (PPC and Intel based) Reference

EVO works on Linux, Mac and Windows. At present (19/8/2008) the vievo video-interface appears differently in Windows as compared with under Linux/Mac, but with essentially the same functionality. Mac users may also have some issues with proxy authentication at some institutions. Reference

• Issues with EVO under Mac
• Issues with EVO under Linux

Recommended Hardware

See the ARCS Camera Support Page

Hardware requirements depends somewhat on your intended use. We'll consider three options... Reference

• personal (single-user) : laptop or desktop computer (most current machines should have suitable specification), a camera (built-in or external webcam should suffice), headset with headphones/microphone
• 2-3 users : as above, but using some sort of small echo-cancelling microphone/speaker unit for audio send/receive
• 4 or more : computer as above, but now need a larger display- either a large monitor, or one or more projectors. A higher-quality camera, possibly a pan-tilt-zoom type, is a bonus, and may require a video capture card on the computer. Audio via a larger echo-cancelling microphone/speaker unit, or else a room audio system that incorporates echo-cancelling hardware

Recommended Software

Evo is based on Java and Java Webstart technology, so you need to install Java runtime environment (JRE). You can download it from www.java.com Reference

Users will need to ensure that they have Java running on your machine. No- the EVO client application is downloaded for them the first time you use EVO and also installed automatically, and any updated versions of the client will be downloaded and installed automatically as they are developed. The only installation they are required to ensure yourself is that Java is installed on your machine. Reference

Installing EVO

All that is required is to register as an EVO user. To do this (current as of 19/8/2008), go to the EVO website and click on the "Register" button. Reference

Starting EVO

See section headed To run EVO here

Changing/recovering the password

Changing or recovering the password

Problems, tuning and interconnectivity

Video

Video problems and tuning

• Diagnosing video and audio problems
• Try reducing the video quality and/or frame rate
• Let EVO automatically adjust bandwidth if it detects problems. Do this on the Koala window via Preferences | Monitor Actions| Enable Monitor Actions
• Ensure the user is connecting to the correct panda server

Audio

Audio problems and tuning

• Diagnosing video and audio problems
• Ensure you choose an appropriate audio device
• Ensure the user is connecting to the correct panda server

Whiteboard problems

General connection problems

Connecting with H232 systems

• Using EVO with H323 and SIP
• Example for H323

General Testing

In the Universe community, there is an open meeting called "EVO TV" which is broadcasting all the time, barring technical problems. This is a useful source for testing your video/audio display and reception, but note that the audio levels from there can vary somewhat, so be ready to adjust your audio-receive level. Reference

EVO Log File

While you are using the EVO Koala client, log information is stored in

• Windows: C:\Documents and Settings\username\LOCAL Settings\Temp\Koala.Log
• Linux/Mac: ~user/.Koala/koala.log

This file is sent to the EVO developers when users click on the + HELP! button However, it may be useful to ARCS support in problem diagnosis,

Network issues

Firewall settings

If there is a firewall blocking incoming traffic between your machine (inside firewall) and the Panda server (outside firewall), some ports need to be opened. You need to open UDP port 46015, which is the only one used to communicate with Panda. The connection is initiated by Koala, which is running on your machine to the Panda. If you are behind a proxy, but outbound TCP is open, then no action should be needed. If outbound TCP connections are blocked, then you should check our documentation ,where you can find a list of outbound TCP ports in Appendix C. The common firewalls seen on personal computers include Windows Firewall, ZoneAlarm? in Windows, iptables in Linux, Personal Firewall in Mac OS X. Reference

Also see Appendix C in the EVO Manual

NAT, Proxy and/or firewall traversal

EVO is designed to traverse firewall/NATs easily. All traffic is tunneled in a single UDP port(46015). This includes audio, video and all other Koala functions such as chat, Bookings etc. If your firewall rules block UDP traffic then the Koala initiates a TCP connection to the Panda. Since most sites allow an outbound TCP connection, EVO can traverse 99% of firewalls/NATs without problem. Reference

For proxy related problems, see also How do I configure my firewall to use EVO?

Bandwidth requirements

• Can I use EVO at home?
• Using EVO at home with an ISP

Features (mostly just references to the EVO Manual)

Controlling the GUI

Enabling greater security

• Making EVO Meetings more secure

Instant messaging

Meetings

Attending meetings

Booking meetings

Communities

Joining a community

Creating a community

The EVO community addition/deletion is managed by us so we can keep some control over it. The EVO community is interesting when a significant number of people belong to the project and want to have a dedicated collaboration environment. In this case a request should be sent to us with a bit of explanation/justifications to evosupport@vrvs.org. If we accept your request, we will ask you for an icon and background image for your community if you have one available. Reference

Finding other participants

Sharing files

Recording a meeting

• Can I play EVO recorded files outside EVO?

-- JustinBaker - 10 Sep 2008