OpenMeetings Commercial Support: Services and FAQ
That’s our detailed list to keep support knowledge structured and save your time asking questions concerning OpenMeetings .
Contents
- Introduction
- Installation & Integration
- Customization
- Process & Communication
- Guarantees & Commitments
- Additional options
Introduction
That’s free software under Apache License. That means you can install Openmeetings yourself for free, and can get free support at our mailing lists. Still you may want to save your time by asking us (om.unipro@gmail.com) for assistance and hire our developers for some services to perform.
To be sure that OpenMeetings is what you really need you should try our demo server before starting a project. Our team installations on customer servers provide exactly the functionality as demo servers do. So if you cannot get desired quality on demo, most probably you would not get it on your own installation too. Especially this is true regarding the quality of sound, video, recordings and screen sharing.
You can choose one of three demo servers: 1) latest release version – supports Flash, 2) next major version – supports WebRTC, 3) next version - supports WebRTC.
On April 2019 the release candidate 5.0.... based on WebRTC is launched. Wherein the сurrent release 4.0.... supports Flash technology. After some time all three demo servers will have version 5.0 .... and support WebRTC technology.
Which tools & technology are behind OpenMeetings?
The server side is written in Java. For versions 4.0…and earlier it is based on media server Red5. For versions 5.0… it is implemented on servers Apache Tomcat and Kurento Media Server.
The client side uses HTML5, WebRTC, Flash and Java Applets. At that WebRTC is valid for versions 5.0…., and Flash – for versions 4.0…. and earlier.
How should be equipped a client computer for participation in the videoconference via OpenMeetings?
You should have : a) web browser (for OM versions not higher than 4.0 ... Flash player must be enabled, because it provides video streaming using Flash technology) b) headset or speakerphone c) webcam.
What can I do about echo if it appears?
Optimally is to use headset or speakerphone. If it’s not possible, then you can manually switch off the microphone in your OpenMeetings video-window or participant tab for the time when you are listening only.
Additionally, you can check whether echo reduction is enabled in the Flash Player settings. If not, then enable it.
Installation & Integration
OpenMeetings is the main supported system for installation. Though if necessary we can install another legacy systems, for example Moodle. Integration is provided with a set of management systems (CMS, LMS, CRM, VoIP server) via integration plug-ins.
Installation requires you to answer a number of questions, hence we can set up the system as you like.
- Have you tried to use OpenMeetings at our demo-server?
- How many conference rooms do you need? Do you need rooms for webinars, or for face-to-face talks, or both? Which resolution do you like to have? How would you name rooms?
- What kind of server do you have? You need a dedicated server with minimum 8-16 GB Ram and Dual Core or Quad core CPU. Recommended operating systems are Ubuntu or Debian. Please transfer us administrator credentials for your server for remote access.
- Do users and server have enough bandwidth and network quality is sufficient? You generally need 1 Mbit/sec for 4 users with 200x200px resolution. Please try our required bandwidth calculator.
- Which hardware do users plan to use?
- Are there any users who will use the system on a regular basis and benefit from the warming-up training?
- Are the server or users protected by a firewall? Does the firewall limit RTMP or HTTP traffic?
- Port settings: for OpenMeetings versions no higher than 4.0 ... (with Flash media streaming) ports 80, 5080, 1935, 8088 must be open. For OpenMeetings versions 5.0 ... (with WebRTC media streaming) port 443 (or 5443), as well as the ports of the turn-server (selected by default or customized) must be open. Could you provide this?
- How many users do you plan to have? For high load solutions do you have any production-grade level database installed? Please send us administrator credentials or credentials of a user who can create and manage OpenMeetings database.
- Do you want to have email notifications? If yes, please send us smtp server host and port, OpenMeetings server email address for outcoming correspondense, and credentials of smtp server user which can send emails from this address.
- Which timezone, language and contry are default for most of your users?
- Do you want to close open registration on your OpenMeetings site?
After installation is finished, you should check that OpenMeetings operates as expected. It's important also for rebranding and integration services.
- Check that you can hear and see other participants.
- Ensure recordings work for your installation.
- Ensure you can successfully put Word documents to the whiteboard.
Unless this is separately discussed you have one week to verify if the installed system meets your expectations, and during this period we will help resolving issues you face.
Which integration modules do you provide?
We provide Moodle, WordPress, Joomla, Drupal, Bitrix and some other CMS/LMS modules (exact supported version numbers can be clarified in each particular case). We also provide integration to SugarCRM, Zimbra and some other popular systems.
Could you please send us a module for CMS/LMS integration?
We don’t provide these modules without installation services. It requires collecting integration requirements first to succeed in the integration process, and we cannot afford a failure.
Is it possible to integrate Open Meetings with some other IT systems?
OpenMeetings is integrated with other applications by means of open SOAP/REST API web services as a tool. Our team has experience of integration with SIP/VOIP, CRM, Wiki systems, project management and payment systems.
Please, answer the following questions to ensure proper integration.
- Do you have installed OpenMeetings correctly?
- Which system do you want to integrate with? Which version?
- As for integrating systems, which servers are they located at? Please provide us with administrator credentials for both systems for remote access.
- Where on the website shall the links to the conference rooms be displayed?
- Which rooms would be visible on your website?
- What happens with the recordings user make in the conference room? Shall the user be able to place a link to a recording he made?
The service includes SIP integration to selected VoIP providers. If you opt for SIP integration, your users can start using mobile devices via SIP gateway with Openmeetings.
There is no fixed price for this edition. The required effort billing is based on standard hourly rate and depends on complexity of client network infrastructure and number of SIP providers.
Customization
It’s about individual features for your OpenMeetings installation and integration.
Is it possible to customize OpenMeetings' look & feel?
Yes, that's possible. That's the most visible advantage of OpenMeetings open source nature.
Is it possible to change several things at once?
Unless you are a trusted long-term customer, we start from small agile projects containing minor customizations. That would save your money, because we address issues in order which is critical for your business.
What happens with the code which is developed during commercial support?
The general changes which are useful for the project (e.g. bug fixes or general new features) are developed under Apache license and committed into the open source trunk. This helps customers update to a newer version smoothly.
There may be some exceptions. For example, for specific customizations we maintain a private source control system for your project, and this costs extra.
This checklist ensures you’ve made steps required for the product rebranding.
- Check that OpenMeetings is installed correctly. See Installation Checklist above on this page.
- Provide OpenMeetings server and remote server access credentials.
- Provide a logo (40 pixel height).
- Provide your company name, the string for the conference URL (so-called context), the browser window title.
- Specify company style colors (light background, window border color).
Process & Communication
First, you should reach us by e-mail om.unipro@gmail.com Then, the details might be discussed via some other channels.
Apart of the acceptable messengers, the best choice is to talk to us personally in a virtual room on OpenMeetings demo server. We'll send you an invitation with a link on a time which fits both parties. This would help you to get some experience of using OpenMeetings and help to understand if OpenMeetings meet your expectation or not, if you are a newcomer.
Our Commercial Support includes several types of services: Installation&Integration, Customization, Bug fixing (e.g. ports configuring), Basic support and Miscellaneous. About a half of services have fixed labour costs, while another half of services are estimated on actual labor costs needed for implementation of your specific tasks.
Thus the total price for the commercial support of OpenMeetings in most cases is formed individually, though based on clear rates and hours.
Current rates are provided by our managers on the request.
Don't hesitate to ask if the task estimate is more than you expect. We strive to make our process transparent and find the acceptable service variant.
The commercial development cycle contains the following stages: understand what should be done > create a tracker and transfer the task to a programmer > develop or fix > compile > test > commit to the source control > verify the change with the second pair of eyes (ask another guy to compile and deploy the new source to the test server) > deploy to the production server. Here the most important part comes, you get a week to verify the changes yourself.
We need to verify the users who get access to the sensitive data. Payment is the simplest verification. Please note, you get a limited time frame to use your admin access.
Guarantees and Сommitments
Herein the range of our responsibilities is outlined:
When you address us at om.unipro@gmail.com you can be sure to get the answer within 2 working days. Then our team we’ll apply efforts to figure out options and resources for finding the most acceptable option on your project implementation. As soon as we agree on price, term and payment, we start to work on your project.
Please take into account that you don’t buy a software product as OpenMeetings itself is free. Though all releases are well tested before their public launch, sometimes an unexpected behavior can occur, which need some bug fixing. You can report the bugs to the project mailing lists which guarantees the attention of the developers’ team, getting in the bugs list and fixing within the priority order. But there are no guarantees with execution time, this might go in phases.
Sometimes we fix critical problems and make security updates for free, but this is not a common rule. If you need urgent resolving of technical problems, then the commercial support is the case.
OpenMeetings is an open source free project, developed under the auspices of open-source devoted Apache Software Foundation (ASF). It complies with all regulations of ASF. All project details and documentation are available at the apache web site, including wiki-based documentation.
UNIPRO team is a leading part of international developer community registered at ASF and responsible for the project lifecycle.
How all personal information delivered by OpenMeetings users is processed one can find in the OpenMeetings Privacy Statement which is compliant with GDPR and other world regulations on privacy. Furthermore, the same policy and procedures on personal data is embedded within free release of OpenMeetings starting from its 4.0.4 version and on the demo-servers within user profile editing page. How the Privacy Statement can be customized and translated to some another language within specific installation is explained here.
There are no steady quality assurances of OpenMeetings releases, though all released public versions are good tested and show enough stability. You can check all features and behavior at project demo servers and then expect the same quality at your own installation.
You can choose one of three demo servers: latest release version, next major version and next version. On April 2019 the release candidate 5.0... (next major version) based on WebRTC is launched. Wherein the сurrent release 4.0.... supports Flash technology. After some time all three demo servers will have version 5.0 .... and support WebRTC technology.
We refrain from guarantees that everything will work perfectly. A free product is also prone to malfunctioning, as are commercial products.
We don’t provide guarantees for the quality of work of the third parties deliverables, which comprises of but are not limited to the software (web browsers, run -time environments, operating systems, etc.) and hardware (personal computers, network equipment, etc.).
We are not responsible for the problems arising from a client-side equipment. If your users don’t have enough bandwidth or RAM on their hardware, we cannot resolve such problems. Again, try one of the demo servers with your equipment first to make a decision.
Additional options
Some additional features are enlighted here:
If you prefer to stay apart of a real hardware you can rent cloud-based OpenMeetings server on om-hosting.com and manage it. You'll get your server in 20 minutes after the purchase.
The internationalization of OpenMeetings is going forward mainly due to user activities. Currently in the OM apache repository there are around 30 localization files. How to make new localizations with the help of LanguageEditor, how to export and import localization files, one can find here. Our team is involved in localization tasks only by user request within a commercial support.