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We have imaged a single laptop with a clean copy of Windows (7 Enterprise), fitted it with a webcam and installed the Polycom PVX client software (v8.0.4-4035) with the idea of creating a relatively portable yet simple bit of kit that teachers can use around school to VC with small groups of students or even individually. The first "live" trial of this is planned to be next week with a school in Italy with whom we have an exchange programme going. Our Eco-coordinator wants to use it in the spring as part of something to do with Tulips too. Anyway, I have this laptop set up with an IP address in the range assigned to the school for VC kit (10.4.x.240), I've created our E.164 number in the correct format and given ourselves a H.323 alias that includes the schools DFES number - all as per the Video Conferencing documents in the EMBC document library. The Polycom software registers with the EMBC gatekeeper fine - but for some perculiar reason I am unable to fathom out, the "call" button remains greyed out and unavailable so I am unable to make calls using either IP or E.164 addresses. I can put anything I like in the address-to-call box, but the button remains grey and unclickable. Everything else appears to work fine - I'm guessing I am missing some crucial (undocumented!) final step that will get this working. And it will probably be something really stupidly obvious too. Although we are registered on the JVCS booking system, I am gathering we don’t need to use this for ad-hoc point-to-point calls within the EMBC network although I admit the information on the EMBC portal and JVCS booking site seems woefully inadequate for a “newbie” like myself - for instance, the JVCS guides talk about venues, guests and so on, but nothing simple like how you connect into a running conference in the first place. Does anyone use the polycom client via EMBC or have any suggestions for things I could try? I don't mind admitting I'm completely new to this video conferencing lark and have spent an afternoon not getting very far with this so any help or suggestions are greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance! Jim

I was recently asked again about the WM VC gatekeeper. Like the WMnet firewall, the WMnet offices, the WMnet server farm and quite a few other mythical entities, the WMnet VC gatekeeper does not exist. As with all other network matters, bar the Janet managed regional backbone network, networks in the West Midlands are managed by the local authorities.