The NetMeeting Dilemma:
by Dave Erickson for FCC G Ezine
summer 2003 - Orange County

Microsoft NetMeeting is a free software which delivers data conferencing features for use within a company’s own intranet (peer-to-peer environment). For use outside of the intranet, severe security and accessibility restrictions are compromised and require considerable reconfiguration.  From Microsoft: “Security and Policy Concerns Some firewalls cannot support an arbitrary number of virtual internal IP addresses, or cannot do so dynamically. With these firewalls, you can establish outbound NetMeeting connections from computers inside the firewall to computers outside the firewall, and you can use the audio and video features of NetMeeting. Other people, though, cannot establish inbound connections from outside the firewall to computers inside the firewall. Typically, this restriction is due to limitations in the network implementation of the firewall. Some firewalls are capable of accepting only certain protocols and cannot handle TCP connections. For example, if your firewall is a Web proxy server with no generic connection handling mechanism, you will not be able to use NetMeeting through a firewall.”

ThePacketCenter.Com Solution:

The NetMeeting data conferencing program and ThePacketCenter.Com services are virtually  identical with a few   extremely important differences:  ThePacketCenter.Com core software utilizes the Microsoft NetMeeting Data Stack, stabilizes the user interface and conferences  through firewalls when you want it to. Instead of configuring your NetMeeting client to log-on to a specific ILS server Facetoface.net automatically logs you on to a server that handles all of the IP addressing issues. Facetoface.net enables a firewall compatible mode that engages a peer-to-server-to-peer architecture which operates through (internet) port 80. By utilizing T120 protocols, facetoface.net provides unparalleled connectivity for NetMeeting at the click of a button using existing Internet/Intranet connections.  No special lines, networks, or additional equipment are needed. No need to reconfigure your network ports. Just enable the peer-to-peer conferencing option in the hosting dialog box. By utilizing Facetoface.net, you eliminate the arduous task of finding an appropriate ILS and sorting through the list to locate your conference target.

The Same Features as NetMeeting with Unparalleled Connectivity :

ThePacketCenter.Com enables anyone to easily host or join a data conference using only their web browser. ThePacketCenter.Com works with existing Windows® operating system-based programs, allowing  applications to be shared transparently without requiring any special knowledge of conferencing capabilities. When an application has been shared, the other people in the conference see the actions that are performed as the person sharing the application works on the program (e.g., editing content, scrolling through information, proofing, etc.). In addition, the  person sharing the application can choose to collaborate, allowing other people in the conference to take turns editing or controlling the application. Each member of the conference does not need to have the given application on his or her system—only the person sharing the application. 

For additional information go to NetMeeting and the ThePacketCenter.Com for more information.

copywrite fccgroup 2003, all rights reserved.