This page provides a quick guide with the steps to follow to set up an Isabel PC to participate in an Isabel session. The steps are as follows:

This page provides also some hints about

1. Support and docummentation. This quick guide has been created to help newcomers to set Isabel up to participate in an event and the information given here should be enough for this purpose. Isabel has been designed for audience interconnection (room or auditorium set up) over the Internet.

In addition Introduction to Isabel provides a quick overview to Isabel 4.10. and if you are interested in getting a deeper knowledge look at Isabel 4.10 documentation page.

Each Isabel event coordinated via the Isabel Plaza will have a coordination page accesible from the "Next Event" list on the right column of the Plaza. The Isabel Plaza provides also a set of support resources such as chat channels, forums, downloads and others. You can arrange with the technical responsibles of the event online advice using Skype, Messenger or the chat channel of this site. The chat channel can be also accessed with any IRC client (HOST: wamba.dit.upm.es/7000, CHANNEL: #isabel).

2. Get the Isabel 4.10 CD. The first thing to do is to get an Isabel 4.10 CD. The CD can be either provided by the organisers or downloaded from the Internet.

To create a CD download the "Isabel 4.10 Live Ubuntu CD v4.10.*" image (about 700Mbyte) over the Internet. Instructions for burning a CD can be found in sections 2 and 3 of the Isabel 4.10 Usage and Installation Guide.

WARNING: DO NOT install the Isabel 4.9 AutoinstallationCD v4.0.5. This is for the old Isabel version which runs on SuSE.

3. Get a PC for Isabel. The Isabel 4.10 CD is based on the Ubuntu Dapper Drake 6.0.6 Linux distribution. The PC Hardware to run Isabel must be supported by this Ubuntu distribution. Find also some useful information about supported Webcams.The PC running Isabel must have the following configuration:

An easy way to test if PC is supported by Ubuntu is by using the "Isabel Live CD" (see next section). The PC will be supported if the "Isabel Live CD" boots on the PC and the network, audio and video work.

4. Install and run Isabel. The Isabel 4.10 CD is based on the Ubuntu Dapper Drake 6.0.6 Linux distribution. To connect to a session, Isabel can run live (without installation even on a Windows PC) or be installed on hard disk for better performance and a more efficient and stable installation.

When the Isabel Ubuntu Linux live CD is ready insert it in the PC and boot from the CD. The way of booting from the CD depends on the PC, i.e. in some PCs you do it by clicking F12 when boot starts, when boot choices appear select CD/DVD and continue the boot process.

When Ubuntu Linux is running the desktop will appear.Click on "Applications -> Isabel" to invoke the various Isabel commands ("ConnectTo", "LocalTest", "StartSessionServer", etc.) as shown in the next figure.

Hard Disk Installation: Once the Ubuntu Live DVD is running a permanent installation on the hard disk of Linux and Isabel can also be made by clicking on the installation icon. Instructions can be found in section 4 of the Isabel 4.10 Usage and Installation Guide. It is advisable to call a Linux expert to do the installation.

5. Test the Isabel Installation. A special mode to make a local test of the installation can be entered with the command "Applications -> Isabel-> LocalTest".

This Isabel mode facilitates local audio and video testing. Guidelines are provided in the background when the mode is entered. Participation in an Isabel session can be made only with a microphone and a webcam. In this case the test must validate that the video and the audio work. If Isabel has to be connected to the audiovisuals of a room or auditorium, audiovisual experts should be contacted. The Isabel Audiovisuals Guide provides guidelines on how to connect the Isabel terminal to the audiovisuals.

6. Firewall Set Up. Bidirectional IP connectivity should be provided between the Isabel terminal and the session access point (session URL) on TCP ports 53009 to 53023 and on UPD ports 53020 to 53032. The firewall has to be configured accordinglly. Connection to an Isabel sessions needs bandwidth availability between the Isabel terminal and the session access point (session URL), typically between 256Kbs and 2Mps. The session organiser will inform about the bandwidth of the session.

7. Update the Isabel version. An Isabel installation can be updated to the lates version over the Internet. To update your Isabel installation you have to execute "Applications -> Isabel -> Utilities -> IsabelUpdate".

8. Connect to an Isabel Session. To connect to an Isabel session execute "Connect To", fill the following values in the panel appearing

• URL: the session URL (an IP or URL provided by organiser, i.e. mcu1.dit.upm.es)
• Nickname: your acronym (UPM, UC3M, UPC, MIT, NASA, …
• Location: your town usually (Madrid, Paris, NewYork, ...)

Run your own session. If you want to organise a session, you can start an Isabel session server executing "Start Server". Fill then the proper session parameters in the panel appearing and start the session and click on start. To connect to this session the clients will have to execute "Connect To" with the session URL indicated in the panel (i.e. isabel://serv1.dit.upm.es/MySession, serv1.dit.upm.es or 134.23.4.11). Clients will enter in demo mode if the session server has no license installed (Live DVD case). Licenses can be installed only in servers with hard disk installations.