Today was the last day of our networking course. There was a feeling of excitement in the air as we set about today’s task of setting up and configuring a VOIP connection. VOIP stands for Voice Over IP. This allows users to connect to a telephone or another computer. It was not quite as simple as just using Skype but this exercise was useful because it taught us a lot about bandwidth and quality of service. Quality of Service becomes important when using VOIP or VC because if you are not running enough bandwidth the signals become choppy. Another factor is in the way data packets are transmitted. Normally, data packets are transmitted to a machine and then the receiving machine sends a confirmation packet. This 2 way traffic eats up bandwidth. However by using UDP we can turn this off thereby freeing precious bandwidth space.
1. Log into switch using coolterm
telnet 192.168.13.254
2. QoS must be enabled or else the packets will be competing with each other and the pictures and sound will be muddled. This is very important when doing VC or VOIP.
3. Install Wireshark ON A WORKSTATION (we made a mistake on this at first and tried to complete the task on our server)
4. install X-lite ON A WORKSTATION
Open the X-Litesoftware from the desktop and then fill in the required fields to dial the number.
We were able to contact Lyle on his phone, then we dialled Jenn and she answered the phone.
After the calls were made we ran the wire shark packet sniffing software. Wire shark monitors the packets and makes sure that the packets are getting through. Using wireshark allows users to see the packets. Using wiresharks allows the packets to be sent WITHOUT requiring a confirmation message beign sent to the originating machine. This saves bandwidth and the packets are transmitted more efficiently.
We had to change one of the quality of service settings in X-lite preferences to 46 because 16X2+14=46. We did another packet sniff with wire shark and found that we had a QoS of 46 rather than 0. This means that we had a stronger set of preferences because our call was going out on port 46. We want it on port 46 because that is a quality port.
Trix box is the web interface through which all the settings are configured. It gives you all sorts of info about the machine it is running.
The last part of the day involved a tour of Chinook High School’s media center. This is a state of the art theatre with all sorts of technological capabilities. It will allow students to experience professional quality lighting, sound and imaging in productions. The theatre is also a fully equipped VC suite capable of video conferencing with high definition images and sound.
I found the technical specs of the theatre interesting. I feel envious of the students attending the high school. They will receive a high quality education which will benefit them in the future. I think that the benefits they receive will undoubtedly trickle down through the community and that all members of the community will benefit from the new media center at Chinook High. 
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