The information required to add or update a conference is nearly identical. Refer to these topics for details:
To add a conference:
Ad hoc conferences (if you allow them) are added by users in the auto attendant.
To update an existing conference:
The following settings can be updated for existing ad hoc conferences:
See the table below for more information:
Field | Field description | Usage tips |
Parameters | ||
Name |
The name that users will see on auto attendant screens and on the MCU's web interface. |
Conference names must be unique; conferences cannot share names. Only scheduled conferences have a configurable Name. Ad hoc conferences use the 'conference number' entered by the participant who has created the conference as the Name and this is not configurable after the conference has been created. |
Description |
Additional information about the conference, which can assist users joining conferences. |
Use the description to provide more detailed information about the conference than the name alone conveys. This is an optional field for scheduled conferences; ad hoc conferences cannot be given a description by default. |
Numeric ID |
The unique identifier used for dialing in to the conference (as a chairperson participant) using an auto attendant or through an H.323 gatekeeper or SIP registrar. For more information about chairpersons and guests, refer to Using IDs and PINs. |
When connected to an auto attendant, participants can join a conference by typing its numeric identifier. If you plan to allow audio-only participants, then you will need to enter either a Numeric ID or a Guest numeric ID. If H.323 gatekeeper registration is enabled for a conference, the MCU attempts to register the conference with an E.164 telephone number, which is comprised of the Registration prefix and the numeric identifier. If SIP registration is enabled for a conference, then the Numeric ID is registered with the SIP registrar. Conferences that are simultaneously active must not share a Numeric ID. For example, a conference on a Tuesday and a conference on a Thursday can share a Numeric ID, whereas two permanent conferences cannot share a Numeric ID. The same number can be used for the Guest numeric ID, if there are two different PINs. Additionally, because the numeric identifier is used in gatekeeper registration, conferences and auto attendants cannot share a numeric identifier value. For more information, refer to Using IDs and PINs. For ad hoc conferences created via the auto attendant, the number allocated by the conference creator becomes the Numeric ID. If ad hoc conferences are registered with the gatekeeper and /or SIP registrar, participants can dial in using this number. Note that the actual number that H.323 participants will dial depends on whether prefixes are used in the page. You cannot configure the Numeric ID of an ad hoc conference; the Numeric ID of an ad hoc conference is set by the conference creator as the "conference number" at the time the conference is created. |
PIN |
Provides a level of security to conference access. |
If a conference has a PIN set, users cannot join the conference or change its configuration without entering the correct PIN. Depending on the conference settings, it may be possible for participants to join a conference as a chairperson (using the Numeric ID and PIN), or as a guest (using the Guest numeric ID and Guest PIN). For an ad hoc conference, you can configure a PIN both at the time of conference creation and also while the conference is running. You can also force ad hoc conference creators to use a PIN (controlled on the page). |
Guest numeric ID |
The unique identifier used for dialing in to the conference (as a guest participant) using an auto attendant or through an H.323 gatekeeper or SIP registrar. For more information about chairpersons and guests, refer to Using IDs and PINs. |
When connected to an auto attendant, participants can join a conference by typing its Guest numeric ID. If you plan to allow audio-only participants, then you will need to enter either a Numeric ID or a Guest numeric ID. If H.323 gatekeeper registration is enabled for a conference, and you have entered a Guest numeric ID, the MCU attempts to register the conference with an E.164 telephone number, which is comprised of the Registration prefix and the Guest numeric ID. If SIP registration is enabled for a conference, and you have entered a Guest numeric ID, then the Guest numeric ID is registered with the SIP registrar. Conferences that are simultaneously active must not share a Numeric ID. For example, a conference on a Tuesday and a conference on a Thursday can share a Numeric ID, whereas two permanent conferences cannot share a Numeric ID. The same number can be used for the Guest numeric ID, if there are two different PINs. Additionally, because the numeric identifier is used in gatekeeper registration, conferences and auto attendants cannot share a numeric identifier value. For more information, refer to Using IDs and PINs. Ad hoc conferences cannot be configured with Guest numeric IDs or Guest PINs. |
Guest PIN |
Provides secure access to conferences for guest participants. |
If a conference has a PIN set, users cannot join the conference or change its configuration without entering the correct PIN. Participants joining as guests have restricted privileges. For more information, refer to Using IDs and PINs. Ad hoc conferences cannot be configured with Guest numeric IDs or Guest PINs. |
Owner |
The owner of the conference, usually the user ID of the user account that the person who scheduled the conference logged in with. |
You may or may not be able to change the conference owner, depending on your privilege level. See Conference ownership for additional information. This setting does not apply to ad hoc conferences. |
Numeric ID registration |
Enables the MCU to attempt to register the Numeric ID and/or Guest numeric ID with the configured H.323 gatekeeper and/or SIP registrar. To globally enable the MCU to allow conferences to register to the SIP registrar, go to and select Allow numeric ID registration for conferences.To globally enable the MCU to allow conferences to register to the gatekeeper, go to and select Allow numeric ID registration for conferences. |
This setting applies to both the Numeric ID and Guest numeric ID (if you have set both). For more information, refer to Using IDs and PINs. For ad hoc conferences, whether or not they are registered with the gatekeeper and/or SIP registrar depends on the Numeric ID registration setting on the . You can edit the Numeric ID registration setting for individual active ad hoc conferences. For more information about templates, see Using conference templates. For scheduled conferences, whether or not they are registered with the gatekeeper and/or SIP registrar depends on the configuration of the individual conference's Numeric ID registration setting. |
When only guests remain |
Controls what happens to the conference when the last participant with chairperson status leaves the conference. The options are:
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This setting applies to scheduled conferences that include guest participants (that is, those who have joined the conference using the Guest numeric ID, or a cascade link on the master MCU). For more information about chairpersons and guests, refer to Using IDs and PINs. |
Automatic lecture mode |
Automatic lecture mode is most useful when the conference is a lecture. The setting allows the lecturer (chair) to be shown in full-screen view to the students. In this mode, the lecturer will continue to see their normal (continuous presence) view. That is, the lecturer will see the students (guests) and not himself. The MCU identifies the lecturer as being the loudest speaker and controls the layout seen by the other participant according to which mode is selected here. Select from:
If you have configured a custom layout for the lecturer, that will override the normal continuous presence view. For the other participants (the students), the view of the lecturer (the loudest speaker) overrides any custom layout. |
During Type 1 lecture mode, whoever is the loudest speaker is seen full screen when all chairs have left the conference leaving only guests, the loudest speaker sees the continuous presence screen layout and can modify the layout whereas the other participants see the loudest speaker and cannot change the layout. During Type 2 lecture mode, when all chairs have left the conference leaving only guests, the guests see a normal continuous presence view of each other and can then modify their layout. Note that you can use the conference's Mute on join setting together with the settings for the lecturer's endpoint's Initial audio status to ensure that the full screen view does not get needlessly interrupted. If you disable Automatic lecture mode, this change will take effect immediately, that is, the layout changes from full screen to continuous presence (or custom layout). For ad hoc conferences, you can configure Automatic lecture mode through the ad hoc conferences template. You can also edit the Automatic lecture mode setting for individual active ad hoc conferences. |
Timeout for Type 1 automatic lecture mode one |
This option is enabled if Type 1 automatic lecture mode is selected. The option determines how quickly the loudest speaker will appear in full-screen view to the other participants. Choose from:
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Visibility |
Indicates the visibility of the conference on the auto attendant and the web interface. The options are:
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For private conferences not visible on an auto attendant, participants will still be able to join the conference if they know the PIN. Note that only admin users can choose which conferences are visible on a given auto attendant. For ad hoc conferences, you can configure Visibility through the ad hoc conferences template. You can also edit the Visibility setting for individual active ad hoc conferences. For more information, refer to Adding and updating an auto attendant. |
Encryption |
The encryption setting for this conference, if you have the encryption feature key enabled. |
If encryption is enabled unit-wide/blade-wide (through the page), you can set one of:
This setting is grayed-out if encryption is disabled on the page.Note that to be able to use encryption, the Encryption feature key must be present on the MCU. |
Invite pre-configured participants |
Indicates when the MCU should invite any pre-configured endpoints into a conference. The options are:
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Select which option fits your requirements best. Calling pre-configured endpoints at the start of the conference is most appropriate for repeating conferences with a particular start time. Calling pre-configured endpoints when at least one other participant is present is most appropriate for permanent conferences; such conferences are typically un-attended for much of the time, and it may only be useful to invite pre-configured endpoints when others are present. This setting only applies to scheduled conferences. |
Mute on join |
Participants who call in will have the selected channels muted as they join the conference. This setting does not apply when the MCU calls out to preconfigured endpoints or ad hoc participants. You can edit this setting on conference templates, preconfigured conferences, or active conferences. |
If you want ad hoc conferences to use this option by default, configure the Mute on join settings of the ad hoc conferences template. Note that there are corresponding settings called Initial audio to MCU and Initial video to MCU that you can set for ad hoc participants and preconfigured endpoints. If either the endpoint's configuration or the conference's configuration requires that a media channel from the endpoint is muted when it joins the conference, then that channel will be muted. There is no precedence between these corresponding settings. Refer to Adding participants, Configuring an H.323 endpoint, or Configuring a SIP endpoint for more information. To toggle the mute on a participant's media channel during a conference, you can go to Viewing the conference participant list for more information. , click the name of the conference, and then click the participant name to bring up its status pages. Refer to |
Adaptive Gain Control on join | Defines whether or not endpoints use Adaptive Gain Control (AGC) when they first join the conference. Check the box to enable AGC by default for endpoints joining this conference. |
This is the conference-wide setting. There is a corresponding Initial Adaptive Gain Control setting on the endpoint configuration, or ad hoc participant configuration, which can override the conference-wide setting on an individual basis. Any manual changes to the participant volume will turn AGC off for that participant. You can manually enable or disable AGC for a participant that is already in the conference, on the page. |
Start locked |
Choose from:
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Maximum video participants |
When the MCU is not in port reservation mode, this parameter sets a limit on the number of endpoints which can connect to the conference as video participants. A participant counts (as a single unit) towards the video limit whether the MCU is sending a video stream to that participant or a video stream is being received. |
If you do not want to limit the number of participants who can join this conference and use video, leave this field blank. This field is only shown if the MCU is not in port reservation mode. This field only applies to scheduled conferences. |
Maximum audio-only participants |
When the MCU is not in port reservation mode, this parameter sets a limit on the number of endpoints which can connect to the conference as audio-only participants. A participant counts (as a single unit) towards the audio limit whether the MCU is sending an audio stream to that participant or an audio stream is being received. |
If you do not want to limit the number of participants who can join this conference to use just audio, leave this field blank. This field is only shown if the MCU is not in port reservation mode. This field only applies to scheduled conferences. |
Video ports to reserve |
In port reservation mode, this parameter specifies the number of video ports to reserve. A participant counts (as a single unit) towards the video reservation value whether the MCU is sending a video stream to that participant or a video stream is being received. |
This value is both a reservation and a limit; the MCU guarantees that this many video participants can connect to the conference, but no more than this will be able to join. This field is only shown if the MCU is in port reservation mode. |
Audio-only ports to reserve |
In port reservation mode, this parameter specifies the number of audio-only ports to reserve. A participant counts (as a single unit) towards the audio reservation value whether the MCU is sending an audio stream to that participant or an audio stream is being received. |
This value is both a reservation and a limit; the MCU guarantees that this many audio-only participants can connect to the conference, but no more that this will be able to join. This field is only shown if the MCU is in port reservation mode. |
Participant controls | ||
Floor and chair control |
Controls "Floor and chair control" settings for this conference. The options are:
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Some H.323 endpoints support a feature known as floor and chair control that is encompassed by the H.243 protocol. For more information, refer to H.243 floor and chair control. If you change the Floor and chair control setting for a conference currently taking place, there will be no immediate effect. That is, an existing floor or chair participant will not have that status removed. If the unit-wide/blade-wide Floor and chair control setting on the Global conference settings page is set to Disabled, it will not be possible to use floor or chair control operations in any conference. For ad hoc conferences, you can configure the Floor and chair setting through the ad hoc conferences template. You can also edit the Floor and chair setting for active ad hoc conferences. |
Layout control via FECC / DTMF |
Prevents or permits conference participants changing their view layout or focused participant using far-end camera control (FECC) or DTMF tones or both. Choose from:
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You may want to prevent participants from changing their view layout in a managed conference, or classroom environment. This is a per-conference option, but you can still configure Layout control via FECC / DTMF on a per-participant basis. For ad hoc conferences, you can configure Layout control via FECC / DTMF through the ad hoc conferences template. You can also edit this setting for individual active ad hoc conferences. When calling out to an endpoint, if you have configured Layout control via FECC / DTMF for that endpoint, it will override this setting (otherwise the endpoint will use the conference configuration for this setting). This setting will apply to endpoints which connect to the conference via an auto attendant or by dialing in directly. |
Send camera control to participants |
Specifies whether FECC or DTMF or both may control a far end camera. This setting combines with layout control via FECC/DTMF to control the camera of the far end and the layouts of the conference.
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There are two control mechanisms, FECC and DTMF, either (or both) of which can be used for camera control and/or layout control. If one mechanism is allowed for camera control but not for layout control, then that mechanism only controls the far end camera and does not affect the layout. Similarly, if one mechanism is allowed for layout control but not for camera control, then it is not possible to control the camera with that mechanism. In these cases, the endpoint can use FECC or DTMF controls directly to change the layout or adjust the far end camera. When one control mechanism can control either the layout or the far end camera, then that mechanism will always control the layout until 'Zoom in' (FECC mechanism) or '1' (DTMF mechanism) is pressed. The control mechanism then switches over to control the camera. Far-end camera control always applies to the camera of the participant shown in the largest or top left pane (when panes are the same size). If you have no way to control the layout, then you cannot focus on a participant to allow you to adjust a particular camera. |
Mute in-band DTMF |
Set the option for the muting of in-band DTMF sent from endpoints in this conference. Note that this sets the conference configuration for this option, but you can also override it for individual endpoints in the conference (through the configuration of the individual endpoints). Choose from the following (the setting will be applied to all endpoints in the conference that are configured to use the conference configuration for Mute in-band DTMF):
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This is a per-conference option, but you can still enable or disable the muting of in-band DTMF on a per-participant basis. In some circumstances, you might need to override this setting for individual endpoints. For example, where a conference is cascaded onto an audio bridge, it might be useful for one of the participants in that conference to be able to send in-band DTMF to the MCU. This is for the purposes of sending the conference ID or PIN to the audio conferencing bridge. In this case, the Mute in-band DTMF setting for the endpoint of that participant needs to be Never (and you configure this in an endpoint's configuration, see Configuring an H.323 endpoint and Configuring a SIP endpoint). For ad hoc conferences, you can configure the Mute in-band DTMF setting through the ad hoc conferences template. You can also edit the Mute in-band DTMF setting for individual active ad hoc conferences. |
In call menu for chair |
In call menus allow conference participants to control many aspects of a conference while on a call without needing to access the web interface. These are controlled using menus accessed via the control keypad. Pressing * on the keypad activates the in call menus. Read more about these menus in the conference features topic. The in call menus can be made available to chairs only, or to both chairs and guest participants, or disabled completely. This parameter configures in call menus for chairs. |
Chairs can be configured to have access to the in call menus at one of three command levels. Choose between:
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In call menu for guest |
In call menus allow conference participants to control many aspects of a conference while on a call without needing to access the web interface. These are controlled using menus accessed via the control keypad. Pressing * on the keypad activates the in call menus. The in call menus can be made available to chairs only, or to both chairs and guest participants, or disabled completely. This parameter configures in call menus for guests. |
Guests can be given access to Local commands only. Choose between:
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Content | ||
Content mode |
The MCU can decode and then re-encode incoming content to ensure that the majority of participants can receive the content. This is the Transcoded content mode. The MCU can also retransmit the content without having to decode it, which is known as Passthrough mode. In this mode, the incoming content packet stream is repackaged and sent to endpoints in the conference that are capable of decoding the original stream. Passthrough mode does not use up a content port for that conference. The MCU also has a Hybrid content mode. In Hybrid mode, the incoming content stream is passed through to participants who are able to support the same codec as the original content stream (the Passthrough content stream). The MCU also encodes a stream, using the specified Outgoing transcoded codec, for endpoints who cannot decode the Passthrough content stream. Hybrid mode uses up a video port. Choose from:
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Sending of passthrough content to or from endpoints over encrypted connections is not supported, with the exception of encrypted H.323 to encrypted H.323. Endpoints that can only support resolutions below the minimum threshold will also only receive transcoded in hybrid, and no content in passthrough mode. Content previews are not supported in passthrough mode but are supported for hybrid content. In passthrough mode a black panel is displayed. A default content mode can be set in the conference template. |
Outgoing transcoded codec |
The codec used to transcode the transcoded stream in transcoded and hybrid content. If hybrid mode is selected and a codec different to the incoming stream is selected, two codecs will be sent: the original codec in the passthrough content stream and the transcoded codec in the transcoded content stream. |
Choose from:
If Automatic is selected, the MCU will determine the best codec to use that will maximize the number of participants that can receive content. |
Content contribution from endpoints |
Whether, by default, endpoints are permitted to contribute the content channel for a conference through the mechanism of opening a content video channel. There can only be one endpoint contributing content video at any one time, and the MCU arbitrates between them. Therefore, even with this parameter set to Enabled, the ability of the endpoint to contribute content video will be affected by other endpoints' behavior. |
If this setting is Disabled, it is still possible to enable content contribution on a per-endpoint basis when the conference is active. Similarly, it is possible to disable content contribution from specific endpoints, either while they are connected or via their configuration. For more information about endpoint configuration, refer to Configuring H.323 endpoints and/or Configuring SIP endpoints. This setting only applies to scheduled conferences. For ad hoc conferences, whether or not endpoints are allowed to contribute content is controlled by the Content contribution from endpoints setting in the ad hoc conference template. To use content, it must be enabled unit-wide/blade-wide on the Configuring content settings for additional information on MCU-wide content configuration parameters. page. See |
Outgoing transcoded resolutions |
Choose the resolution for the content channel that will be transmitted to endpoints in this conference:
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For ad hoc conferences, transmitted content resolution is controlled by the ad hoc conference template. |
Minimum outgoing bit rate |
This field sets a lower limit on the bandwidth of the shared content video encoding sent to content receivers in a conference. Changing this setting when there are connected participants causes the MCU to re-assess whether there should be content video channels to those endpoints; the MCU will close existing channels and open new ones as appropriate. |
A single content video stream is used for each conference, and this stream will be sent to all endpoints receiving the content channel as a separate video channel. If some endpoints are only able to receive low bit rate streams (for instance if they have called into the MCU at a low call rate), it is sometimes preferable to exclude those endpoints completely from the content stream rather than force all viewers to see a reduced bit rate channel. If you do not want to exclude endpoints from viewing the shared content video channel in a conference, make sure this is set to <no minimum>, which is the default setting. Where an endpoint cannot, for whatever reason, receive the content channel as an additional video channel, the MCU can show the content channel as part of the main video channel. That is, the participant will see the content as a pane in the conference layout. This functionality is controlled by the Display content in normal video channel setting (see below). Note that during a call, an endpoint can send a 'flow control message' to the MCU that could cause the MCU to reduce the bit rate to that endpoint to below the configured Minimum outgoing bit rate; in this case, the MCU will close the content channel to that participant. To re-enable content (which has been disabled in this way) to this participant, go to the conference's Participant list and use the content enable control. For more information about altering a participant's settings during a conference, refer to Viewing the conference participant list. |
Preferred minimum passthrough resolution | The minimum resolution that will be passed on to endpoints | If an endpoint that can only receive content below the minimum joins a conference, the endpoint will not be sent a passthrough content stream or a transcoded content stream. If the MCU receives content with a resolution below this setting, then it will use the received resolution as the minimum instead.Grayed out if Content mode set to Transcoded or Hybrid. |
Start time and duration | ||
Start time |
The time at which the conference will begin. |
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Start date |
The date on which the conference will begin. |
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Set to current time |
Sets the conference start time to the current time on the MCU. |
The current time on the MCU is determined by the settings in the Displaying general status for additional information. page, which can only be modified by the administrator. See |
Permanent |
Allows you to retain a conference and its settings for an infinite period of time. |
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Maximum duration |
Limits the duration of the conference for one instance of the conference. |
These fields are not available or necessary for conferences set to permanent. |
Repetition | ||
Interval |
Which days and / or weeks the conference repetitions will occur. The repetitions will always start at the same time of day: the conference's configured Start time (see above), and will last for the same amount of time: the configured Maximum duration. |
The start date is taken into account when determining when the first repetition should occur. For instance, if the start date is a Wednesday and the conference is scheduled to repeat every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday then it will occur only on Wednesday in the first week and on all three specified days in subsequent weeks. |
Termination |
If a conference is set to repeat, its repetitions can be configured to go on forever, stop after a certain date, or to occur only a certain number of times. |
The first activation of a conference counts as a "repetition", so configuring a conference to repeat but terminate after 1 repetition is equivalent to it not repeating at all. |
You can choose to pre-configure endpoints to be part of a conference. These endpoints will be automatically invited into the conference by the MCU. This is useful if you regularly invite the same participants into a conference. To select which previously configured endpoints will be pre-configured for this conference, press Pre-configured participants. (This button may also show a number in parentheses to indicate the number of participants that are currently pre-configured). Refer to Adding participants for more details.
There are two types of conference participant: chairperson and guest. IDs and PINs allow participants to connect to conferences as the correct participant type.
Chairperson participants use Numeric ID and optionally, PIN; guest participants use Guest numeric ID and optionally, Guest PIN.
A conference will not begin until the first chairperson joins. This means that guests will see a black screen/hear silence with on screen text 'Waiting for conference chairperson' and an audio prompt after five seconds and then every minute thereafter.
You can control the behavior when the last chairperson leaves the conference (that is the When only guests remain setting). The two options are:
The permitted ID and PIN combinations are as follows:
Note that participants dragged and dropped into a conference on the web interface will be chairperson participants. Where no IDs or PINs are configured for a conference, all participants will be chairpersons regardless of how they join.
Both Numeric ID and Guest numeric ID can be registered with an H.323 gatekeeper and/or SIP registrar to enable participants to dial in to conferences directly and as the correct participant type. The Numeric ID registration setting applies to both IDs.
Audio-only participants can be guest or chairperson participants by connecting to a conference using either a Guest or Chairperson ID. In the case of an audio-only guest, if no chairperson has yet joined the conference, they will hear an audio prompt informing them of that. The conference will start when the first chairperson joins.
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