Using InPerson across an ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network) line is similar to using InPerson across any other low speed router. This appendix describes how to use your ISDN connection to make InPerson calls.
If you have already set up ISDN hardware and software so you can log in to the system to which you want to place an InPerson call, see “Placing an InPerson Call Over ISDN.”
If your ISDN/PPP hardware and/or software is not set up, see “Setting Up Your ISDN Connection for InPerson.”
Setting up an ISDN connection involves two general steps:
Set up the basic ISDN hardware and software.
This involves ordering hardware and services from your telephone company, setting up the external hardware, and using the System Manager to set up ISDN software.
To access the System Manager, select System > System Manager from your desktop Toolchest. Go to the “Network and Connectivity” section of the System Manager for ISDN set up.
Set up the PPP (Point-to-Point Protocol) software so you can make connections to specific locations using the ISDN hardware and software.
See Figure A-1 for an illustrated example of what an ISDN configuration might look like.
This involves contacting the Internet Service Provider or Network Administrator of the network to which you want to connect, then using the PPP Setup tool to give your system the information it needs to establish the connection.
If you have not done this yet, see the online help in the PPP Setup tool for detailed instructions. To view the help, open the System toolchest, go to the ISDN Manager rollover menu and choose “Set Up Call” (see Figure A-1), then click the Help button on the PPP Configuration window that appears.
 | Tip: To maximize performance, when you set up a PPP connection that you plan to use for InPerson calls, specify that both B channels be open at all times. Be aware that this is more costly—the phone company will count it as two simultaneous phone calls. |
Once ISDN and PPP are set up so you can log in to the system to which you want to place an InPerson call, you are ready to try a call; see “Placing an InPerson Call Over ISDN.”
Once you have set up your ISDN connection, making a call is easy.
 | Note: Use ISDN for calling one person only. Multiway conferences are not supported across ISDN lines. |
To make a call using ISDN:
Open the connection with the PPP Setup tool.
For example, suppose you want to reach someone with the login name susan at the system bedrock, and to access bedrock you need to open the sgi connection:
Choose “Set Up Call” from the ISDN Manager menu (see Figure A-1).
Click the connection named “sgi” in the list shown in the Outgoing Call Connections area.
Click the Start Connection button.
Start InPerson.
Check your call settings. See “Recommended Settings for ISDN Conferences”.
Place your call as usual.
For example, to call susan on the system bedrock, type in the Calling window:
| Note: If you want to call someone in a different office, and they are not accessible via the ISDN hub you contacted, you'll need to close down one ISDN connection and start another one to the appropriate ISDN hub. |
For the best performance across an ISDN line, follow the recommendations listed below:
Use the Call Preferences Panel to select ISDN as the Network Bandwidth. See “Setting the Network Bandwidth for Your Network Type” for step-by-step instructions.
Caution: It is important to select ISDN. Choosing a higher network bandwidth setting, such as LAN, could overload the network and terminate your call. Use a static image rather than live video. Run InPerson, then follow the instructions in “Using a Static Image Instead of Video” before placing a call.
If you call the same person frequently, ask that person to consider using a static image as well. If they won't use a static image, ask the person to freeze the video as soon as possible after the call starts. See “Preventing Others from Seeing and Hearing You (Turning Audio and Video Off)” for instructions. This can be helpful because ISDN lines often lack the bandwidth to offer adequate quality video and audio at the same time.
Before placing the call, select Audio Control Panel from the Tools menu. Set the audio output rate to the input rate:
Pull down the Rate menu.
Choose the Output Rate rollover submenu.
Select Input Rate.
Note: For the best performance, do not adjust the Input Rate, which is set by InPerson. Also, do not change the Output Rate after the call has been established. If live video is very important to a particular call, consider placing two calls: one via InPerson, using only the video, and one via a standard telephone for audio. This can be helpful because ISDN lines often lack the bandwidth to offer adequate quality video and audio at the same time.
Change the audio compression algorithm to gsm, by editing the Application Defaults file. This lessens the amount of bandwidth needed to send the audio. See “Monitoring Network Congestion and Compression.”