
				Facilities			Products


	Linktivity WebDemo

System Check

« System Requirements | Main | Capacity »

Linktivity WebDemo contains a system check feature that allows meeting participants to check whether their PC configuration meets WebDemo's system requirements. The browser test facility is discussed in the Test Browser section of the WebDemo user guide.

Review Overview
This review discusses the following aspects of the system check option in Linktivity WebDemo:

Running the browser test

Checked components

Solving problems

Cons

Conclusion

Running the Browser Test
The WebDemo browser test runs automatically after meeting participants access a WebDemo meeting for the first time; if their system passes the test, they are automatically taken to the client console. The browser test may also be manually launched through the Test Browser button located in the System Tools section on the left side of the WebDemo log-on screen. Every email invitation message contains a direct link to the browser test. This is convenient because it allows participants to check their system well in advance of the meeting's starting time. The browser test progress is displayed through a gauge bar and is also visible on the browser status bar. It usually takes a few minutes to complete. On subsequent logons the browser test takes considerably less time.

Manually running WebDemo's system check

Checked Components
WebDemo's browser test checks for the presence and compatibility of the following system components:

Operating System: the browser test detects whether a compatible operating system is running.

Browser Type: the browser test is capable of detecting whether or not a compatible browser is used, but it cannot distinguish Microsoft Internet Explorer from a browser using the Internet Explorer rendering engine, like Avant Browser, Maxthon, NetCaptor or iRider.

Popups Allowed: the WebDemo host control panel and the client pane are created using the windowing technology that is also used by many websites to display pop-up advertisements. Many modern browsers, browser toolbars and firewall software contain an option to block pop-up windows. The Popups Allowed option checks whether pop-up window blocking is in effect.

Java Virtual Machine: WebDemo's full functionality is available only when the Microsoft or Sun Java Virtual Machine engine is running.

Temporary Directory: WebDemo needs a temporary folder to be present to store its runtime libraries, Java applets and gif images (1.7Mb). The Change Dir button may be used to save these files in a different location.

Javascript Version: the WebDemo documentation doesn't address the reason why Javascript is needed.

Presence of MFC42.DLL: WebDemo requires that mfc42.dll is present on the participants' PCs. It is a Microsoft Foundation Class run-time library, used by many executable programs developed in C++.

Network Throughput: the test measures network throughput in KB/sec. The result indicates whether the user's system meets the minimum bandwidth requirement of 56kbps with 40kbps connectivity. The higher this number, the better. A broadband or better connection is required to run WebDemo successfully.

Connection to Server: tests whether a connection could be established to the WebDemo ConnectionPoint, the server application that manages all traffic between server, meeting host and participants.
Avg. Response Time: reports the number of miliseconds to reach the WebDemo server. The lower this number, the better.

Connection Mode: either TCP, Proxy or HTTP

This system successfully passed the WebDemo browser test

Solving Problems
If the browser test fails, the components needing attention are clearly indicated. Instructions are provided to solve the problems. If desired the test results can be forwarded to a local system administrator or to Linktivity for support.

Cons

The WebDemo browser test does not offer the option to check whether the user's audio and video configuration is properly set up.

Conclusion
The Linktivity WebDemo browser test feature is integrated well into the application. It is convenient that attendees may manually check their system compatibility in advance of the scheduled meeting date. To see how WebDemo's implementation of the system check feature compares to the one available in other webconferencing tools, check the system check comparison table in this Guide.

« System Requirements | Main | Capacity »

Posted on June 20, 2003 at 10:49 PM

Updated on December 25, 2004 at 05:09 PM

Overview

Key Strengths

Weak Points

PowerPoint Presentation Facilities

Web Touring - Co-Browsing

Presence Awareness

Multi-Protocol IM

Text Chat

Audio Conferencing - VoIP