Re: [GnomeMeeting-list] Re: Connecting to Netmeeting which is on a home network

[Yves-Eric MARTIN <yem_gnomemeeting org filter yve net>]

Hello all,


Good time to chime in: I have also been unable to get the a similar setting to 
work. 

I now understand from a recent email on this list (thank you Damien) that 
whatever we try, a call from GM to NM will not work, and a call from NM to GM 
may work... or not...

First thing:  FAQ entry 2.2. Does it work with Netmeeting?

There should really be a mention of the above NAT problems in the FAQ entry 
"2.2. Does it work with Netmeeting?". That would have saved me hours of vain 
tweaking and testing. I know that it's better for PR to claim that "Yes, 
GnomeMeeting is compliant with all H.323 products, software and hardware 
including NetMeeting.", but as NAT is getting more and more common on the 
Internet, the current text in that FAQ entry is waaaaay too optimistic and 
misleading. I know that is is not GnomeMeeting but Netmeeting that is at 
fault here, but in the same way that the FAQ mentions problems with 
Netmeeting receiving large images, it should more importantly mention 
problems with receiving *anything at all* when Netmeeting is behind NAT. And 
maybe the FAQ entry could even suggest Windows alternatives to Netmeeting 
(OpenPhone and MyPhone?).


Next thing: Trying to get at least a NM -> GM call to work...

I now have got back some hope of getting it to work since Damien mentioned it 
may work, so here is the call for help I never posted until now:

The setup is the following:

GM ----| NAT router |----(internet)----| NAT router |---- NM

I have opened the necessary ports on both routers, and GM reports 'Cone NAT'. 
Note also that both NAT routers say they "support NetMeeting". (Oh, and 
MS-GSM and Speex codecs are installed in NM).

Symptoms are the following: Indeed, as Damien said, a GM -> NM call never ever 
worked. Call is closed right away. For a NM -> GM call, the connection is 
established OK, in the GM general history, I can see both video and audio 
codecs open for both transmission and reception. But only the GM side gets 
audio and video. The NM side gets nothing...

Any suggestion to try and get this to work would be greatly appreciated, as 
the Windows alternatives to NetMeeting have not been satisfactory :-/
OpenPhone is too clumbersome to install and use for my end-users (OK, big name 
to say Mom and Dad and a few friends ^^), and MyPhone latest binary just 
consistently crashes on me every time it sends or receives a call... :.-( 

Cheers,


On Sunday 15 May 2005 18:37, Jan Schiefer wrote:
> Allan schrieb:
> > First of all let me congratulate everyone associated with this project
> > for a first-class effort.  I was particularly impressed by the quality of
> > the documentation.  But, after spending two frustrating weeks off and on
> > I am still no closer to making a connection to Netmeeting.
> >
> > I have finally determined that the problem I'm having is that both of the
> > systems I am trying to communicate with are running on home networks and
> > of course the H323 protocol demands a direct connection.  Unfortunately
> > the documentation makes no mention of this problem.
> >
> > Would someone please, please, please tell me how to connect to a system
> > on a home network  bearing in mind that I'll have to pass on the
> > instructions to a couple of typical Windows users.  And PLEASE don't tell
> > me to have them install gnugk to act as their gatekeeper.  One look at
> > it's documentation is likely to drive them kicking and screaming away
> > from anything to do with Linux and OSS.  Besides which, if I understand
> > correctly, that only provides them with a way to connect to me not vice
> > versa.
> >
> > Allan
>
> First try to ping the other hosts.
> Be sure that your firewall ( or the other host's firewall ) doesn't
> block the H323 + RTP ports ( see FAQ ).
>
> If this succeeds try to enter just their IP address in the address field.
>
> Greetings,
> Jan Schiefer!
>
>
>
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-- 
Yves-Eric MARTIN