Re: [Ekiga-list] Query about sharing of physical devices

[Bret Busby <bret busby net>]

On Thu, 21 Feb 2013, Eugen Dedu wrote:

> On 21/02/13 11:46, Bret Busby wrote:
> > Hello.
> >
> > A question occurred to me, in a conversation with Greg.
> >
> > Where a person has accounts with more than one softphone access
> > provider; eg, I have one with each of Skype, Ekiga and Linphone
> > (although, at present, I am not so concerned with continuing use of
> > Linphone), and, thence, an Ekiga account, a Skype account, and a
> > Linphone account, can the physical devices be shared, so as to enable
> > concurrent logins and access to the different accounts, thus allowing a
> > user to be simultaneously connected to Skype, Ekiga and Linphone?
>
> It depends.  For ex., ekiga listens on port 5060, and if linphone uses the 
> same port the two programs will not function properly.
>
> The devices themselves should not be a problem I think, since they are opened 
> only during communication.
>
> The accounts are not a problem either, as soon as they use different 
> providers on the three programs.
>
> > > From memory, with some software, for example, audio and/or video
> > recordings, trying to run one, while another is running/paused, can lead
> > to an error message such as "device is busy", or "device is in use by
> > another application, referring to a soundcard, graphics card, speakers,
> > etc.
>
> Indeed, because that device is opened in one program (which uses it), and the 
> other one wants to open it too.
>
> --
> Eugen

An update; in the course of the tests that Greg and I ran, I found that 
Ekiga and Linphone use the same port number and therefore clash for it, 
but Skype uses a different port number, and I successfully ran Skype 
while Ekiga was running, and, inasmuch as we achieved what success that 
we did achieve with Ekiga (both Greg and I running Ekiga v 3.2.x), it 
did not make any difference whether Skype was running.

I also had successful video calls between me and NZ, apart from the 
(reasonably) succesful video calls between me and Greg, via Skype, while 
Ekiga was running.

Thus, it appears that Linphone and Ekiga, can not be run concurrently, 
but Ekiga and Skype can be run concurrently.

--
Bret Busby
Armadale
West Australia
..............

"So once you do know what the question actually is,
 you'll know what the answer means."
- Deep Thought,
  Chapter 28 of Book 1 of
  "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy:
  A Trilogy In Four Parts",
  written by Douglas Adams,
  published by Pan Books, 1992
....................................................