Invitation via Gatekeeper

[Chris Purvis]

Radhika, Gary,

H.323v2, section 6.7:
"The MCU is an endpoint which provides support for multipoint conferences.
The MCU shall consist of an MC and zero or more MPs."
Note that the phrase used is "consist of", not "contain".  If an MCU is an
endpoint, it is callable (I think we're agreed on that).  If it consists of
an MC and zero or more MPs, that means it must still be callable when it
consists of only an MC.  Therefore the MC is the part of an MCU that is
callable.  Hence an MC MAY be a callable entity.
The wider point is that my understanding was that all control signalling
done by an MCU was done by the MC part of it (again on the basis of those
two sentences).
If this is inconsistent with other parts of the standard, then it certainly
needs to be fixed (please give references); if it is consistent with the
rest of the standard, but not what was intended, then we need to reconsider
what we really want.

For the case under discussion I'd agree with Gary that it's a minor semantic
quibble (and as such I was planning to allow Gary's mail on its own to pass
without comment), but if there's the possibility of it becoming more than
that maybe we ought to clear it up.

Regards,
Chris

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Roy, Radhika R, ALCOO [mailto:rrroy at ATT.COM]
> Sent: 05 March 1999 2:08
> To: ITU-SG16 at MAILBAG.INTEL.COM
> Subject: Re: Invitation via Gatekeeper
>
>
> This was my understanding as well.
>
> Does anyone disagree with Gary?
>
> Regards,
> Radhika
>
> -------------------------------------------
>
> Radhika R. Roy
> AT&T Labs
> Room C1-2B03
> 200 Laurel Avenue S.
> Middletwon, NJ 07748
> USA
> + 1 732 420 1580 Tel
> rrroy at att.com
>
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Gary A. Thom [SMTP:gthom at DELTA-INFO.COM]
> > Sent: Friday, March 05, 1999 11:18 AM
> > To:   ITU-SG16 at MAILBAG.INTEL.COM
> > Subject:      Re: Invitation via Gatekeeper
> >
> > I have this minor semantic clarification:
> >
> > > 2. I disagree with Linh's assertion that "an MC never
> sends ARQ".  If I
> > am
> > > administering an MCU which can initiate conferences by
> calling up a list
> > of
> > > participants at a given time, I will certainly require
> that MCU to apply
> > to
> > > its gatekeeper for permission to make these calls.
> > > In the particular case under discussion, E2/its MC
> certainly has to send
> > > ARQ.  It is going to make a call, which will result in
> data flowing its
> > > gatekeeper's zone, and which may end up costing money.
> >
> > The original idea was that only endpoints send ARQ. An MC is not an
> > endpoint, however, it is a
> > functional element which can be contained in an endpoint
> (such is the case
> > of an MCU or a terminal
> > which contains an MC). So even though the endpoint contains
> an MC, it is
> > the endpoint which is
> > sending the ARQ not the MC functional element.
> >
> > If an MC exists in the Gatekeeper, I do not beleive that
> that MC will ever
> > send ARQ for any of the
> > connections in the conference. Only the endpoints in that
> conference will
> > send ARQ to their
> > Gatekeepers.
> >
> >
> > Gary
> > ------------------------------------------------------
> > Name   : Gary A. Thom
> > Company: Delta Information Systems, Inc.
> > Address: 300 Welsh Rd., Bldg 3
> >          Horsham, PA 19044 USA
> > Phone  : +1-215-657-5270         Fax : +1-215-657-5273
> > E-mail : gthom at delta-info.com
> > ------------------------------------------------------
>