(for shared applications and whiteboarding) and mobility, so users can access any MMCX endpoint by using a single log-in name.
By year's end, Lucent plans to add support for MASI (which allows the Definity PBX to act like a features server sitting on a LAN); H.320, an early ISDN standard that's circuit-switch-based for voice and video over 128-Kbps lines; and H.263 video capabilities.
I tested an early version of Lucent's newest MMCX Server release. After linking to a Definity PBX and a 24-B-channel ISDN Primary Rate Interface (PRI), I plugged the server into three Windows
95 machines. These three clients each contained 32 MB of memory, a Windows-compliant video-capture card, and a full-duplex sound card, in accordance with Lucent's specifications.
I initiated a conference call among the three client PCs on the LAN as well as a phone that was plugged into our PBX. Then, using Lucent's client-side user interface, it was easy to initiate the system's H.261-compression-based videoconferencing, share whiteboard and Word documents, and transfer and forward calls.
Based on a 166-MHz Pentium processor, MMCX Server comes with 48 MB of DRAM, a 2-GB SCSI-2 hard drive, a 1.44-MB floppy drive, and a WILDcard (WAN to LAN device card) that provides interfacing among LAN, Ethernet, and ATM network interface cards (NICs) and E1/T1 circuit-switched networks. IS managers who have an immediate need for a multimedia conferencing package should take a look at Lucent's MMCX Server. With no direct competition, it represents a robust solution that's easily integrated into existing PCLANs.
Where to Find
MMCX Server...................$36,650
(starter package)
Lucent Technologies
Murray Hill, NJ
Phone: 888-458-2368
Internet:
http://www.lucent.com
Enter 977 on Inquiry Card.
Mixed-Media Maven
