Audio, Web and Video Services, Post ESNet Era

1. Audio, Web and Video Services, Post ESNet Era Jon Bakken All Experimenter’s Meeting 21 July 2014

2. Status and Plans Sep 30, 2014: ESnet will stop providing audio and web conferencing services (ReadyTalk) as well as ECS services (video bridging service) • These services have been paid for by DOE’s Energy Science Network • Not part of anyone’s budget to pick up these services after Sep 30. • Estimated cost $200K-$500K/year for both. Options available: • ReadyTalk is ultra reliable & we have not spent a lot of time investigating alternatives. • Evaluated ~dozen video providers & have concluded BlueJeans is best match for us. Multi-lab efforts: • LBL is trying to negotiate an “All Science Labs Master Contract” for ReadyTalk • ICPT (Integrated Contractor Purchasing Team) is working on DOE master contract with BlueJeans Video Network for ECS services • No concrete progress so far on either of these DOE efforts, most labs issuing extensionson their own. Bottom line: • Plan on continuing existing Audio/Web Conferencing (ReadyTalk) services • Do not plan on continuing ECS (Video bridging) services Bakken | Video Services 2015

3. Audio + Web Conferencing Fermilab is by far biggest HEP user of ReadyTalk among national labs • 75% of all HEP usage • 608 ReadyTalk users associated with FNAL (~300 active) • 157 of which have non-Fermi email addresses ( ~90 active) ReadyTalk services include Audio + Web Conferencing Core Computing Division has submitted Purchase Req #249528 for $150K to continue phone/web collaboration services • Not in anyone’s FY14 budget • Procurement requires a competitive RFP, best value will win bid • Plan to support only users with .fnal.gov email address, with exceptions • Must defend ReadyTalk usage to DOE to avoid unallowable costs • For reference, ANL supports only those with .anl.gov email addresses. • Still investigating a possible All-HEP cost model Bakken | Video Services 2015

4. Video Bridging Services We will not be replacing ECS Video Bridging Services • Some groups of users want continuation of current video services, others say we’d don’t need it and audio/web conferencing is sufficient. • Current plan is to not continue video conferencing bridging services. • Communicated to lab senior management & at lab status meeting. • Preparing a communication to inform lab and town hall meetings Pilot BlueJeans video bridging service 1styear cost is $50K. • Out year costs are still murky. Unable to get reliable answers. • Cost estimates range from $50K-$300K. • We do not believe FNAL is getting $50K of value from service Point-to-(few)point video services still available. Bakken | Video Services 2015

5. Video Services FY2015 - details Video conferencing support for CERN Vidyo services will go unchanged. ECS Ad-Hoc video services will no longer be available after September 30: • 85XXX, 88XXX, 75XXX and 78XXXnot available. • ECS phone gateway, 510-423-9220, not available. Current video equipment continues to work, but • Most video conference rooms will have point-to-point connections only. • 9 of our 48 video conference polycoms have licenses that allow up to 3 multi-point video site connections (4 video connections in total): • WH1E, WH2NW, WH6NW, WH12X, WH13X • FCC1W, FCC2A • IB1, IB3A • Licenses can be bought for 25 other units at $2.5K/site/unit (if needed) • Can not host meetings that require video connection to more than one (or 3) site, you need to use a video-bridging service provided by another institution. CCD can provide support for connecting conference rooms to video bridging services provided by other institutions but experience has shown this often takes 1 week of debugging due to equipment incompatibilities. Bakken | Video Services 2015

6. Rationale for not continuing Video Bridging Audio+Web conferencing provided by ReadyTalk has proven itself to be ultra reliable and very useful for collaboration. Video conferencing has been difficult to deploy, has many variables, and doesn’t work as reliablyas audio/web. • Emerging & changing video technologies have made it difficult to converge and manage traditional room systems for on- and off-site users. Little utility for current video configurations that have static cameras showing fixed view. • For example, need investment in rooms, here and in remote sites, to upgrade cameras so they focus on speakers. • Video of large group meetings has only marginal value • One-to-one/few video conferencing still available either using existing rooms or Skype (or Skype-like) desktop video conferencing • CCD can provide guidance on how to use Skype for new users Cost for pilot BlueJeans video conferencing service for 1st year is $50K. • No concrete progress on the ICPT DOE master contract with BlueJeans • Out year costs are still murky. We have been unable to get reliable answers. • Cost estimates range from $50K-$300K. • We do not believe we are getting $50K of value from bridging service Bakken | Video Services 2015

7. Most affected by decision We sent out a survey: Muon g-2, MINERvA, NOvA, MicroBooNEstate they need video services. CDMS uses video regularly but consider it secondary to audio. CDF & D0 use video, unclear if required or just historical. Proposal is for these groups to Use ReadyTalk audio and web conferencing Use point-to-(few)-point video conferencing Use bridging services from other institutions Hybrid solution, up to 3 other sites on video, rest on ReadyTalk. Bakken | Video Services 2015