Lobby

The Lobby functionality enables a call to be locked. When a call is locked, particpants who dial into the call then wait in the lobby until the person who is managing the call, unlocks the call and allows the participants into the meeting. Participants can be admitted either individually or one at a time. Calls can be locked and unlocked as many times as required.

Calls are locked/unlocked from the People coApp on the Activity page.

Lobby introduces 2 new options when creating Space Templates:

  • Lock Mode
    • Needs activation - activators and members by-pass the Lobby and go straight into the call. Think of this as Legacy Mode

    • All - everyone goes into the Lobby. Think of this as "Lobby" as you'd expect
  • Enable lock on call start
    • True - call is locked on start
    • False - call is unlocked on start

Lobby modes

Pre-VQCM 3.6 enabled the creation of Activator/non activator roles, for example Chair and Attendee. This ability remains in VQCM 3.6 and above. Lobby can be used in the following modes:

  • Exisiting Activator mode - Lobby is not enabled. Lobby is not shown in the VQ UI
  • New Lobby mode - no Activator roles
  • Exisiting Activator mode with Lobby - Existing Activator/non activator (e.g. Chair and Attendee). Calls Locked or Unlocked

Existing Activator mode

Lobby is not enabled. No lock or unlock

  • Activator/non activator (e.g Chair and Attendee) roles perform in the same way as pre-VQCM 3.6
  • Space Templates settings- use existing Activator template(s)

New Lobby mode

No Activator participants

  • A call is locked or unlocked
    • If locked all participants go into the Lobby and are admitted into the call, as required, using the VQ UI
    • If unlocked all participants go straight into the call

New Lobby Space Templates settings

New Lobby Space Template

Lock Mode Enable Lock at Call Start

 

Activation Required

Call Behaviour

 

Needs Activation All True False False True  
  • Single or multiple role
  • No activator role
  • Call locked at start
- - - Everyone goes into the Lobby. Participants are then admitted into the call, via the VQ Ul - either Admit All or Admit Individual
  • Single or multiple role
  • No activator role
  • Call unlocked at start
-

- - Everyone goes straight into the call. Once the call has started, it could, for example, be locked and any latecomers get held in the Lobby

Activation Required = False and Lock Mode = All are recommended settings for New Lobby functionality.

This will avoid the complexity of mixing Legacy Activator functionality with New Lobby calls.

NOTE: Lobby may not work as you may expect on existing Space Templates. We recommend you create a new Space Template for Lobby functionality.

Legacy Activator mode with Lobby enabled

Existing Activator/non activator (e.g. Chair and Attendee)

  • A call is locked or unlocked.
    • If locked an Activator by-passes the Lobby and goes into the call. If the Activator joins the call first, Members who subsequently join by-pass the Lobby. If the Member joins the call first they wait in the Lobby until the Activator joins, then go into the Lobby. When an Attendee joins the call, they wait in the Lobby until they are admitted, using the VQ UI into the call
    • If unlocked, an Activator by-passes the Lobby and goes into the call. If an Activator joins the call first, all subesquent Members or Attendees join the call without having to be admitted because the call is unlocked. If a Members joins first, they wait in the Lobby until an Activator joins. Once the Activator joins the Member goes straight into the call. If an Attendee joins the call first, they wait in the Lobby until an Activator has joined the call. Once the Activator joins, the Attendee goes into the call without having to be admitted from the VQ UI

Legacy Activator mode with Lobby Space Template settings

Legacy Activator Template with Lobby

Lock Mode Enable Lock at Call Start

 

Activation Required

Call Behaviour

 

 

Needs Activation All True False False True  
  • Activator and participants
  • Call locked at start
-

- -

If an Activator joins first they by-pass the Lobby and go straight into the call, even though the call is locked

If a Member joins first, they wait in the Lobby until an Activator joins. Once the Activator has joined they will move straight into the call. They willl join the call, even if the call is locked

If an Attendee (non-Activator) joins the call first, they go into the Lobby.

For an Attendee to join the call:

Once an Activator has joined, from the VQUI:

- the call can be unlocked all Attendee(s) in the Lobby, go into the call

or

- the call remains locked and the Attendee(s) in the Lobby can be admitted one at a time, or admit all

  • Activator and participants
  • Call unlocked at start
- - -

If an Activator joins the call first, the Activator goes into the call and all the other participants join the call without having to be admitted because the call is unlocked

If a Member joins the call first, they would stay in the Lobby, even though the call is unlocked, until the Activator joins

If an Attendee (non-Activator) joins the call first, they would stay in the Lobby, even though the call is unlocked, until the Activator joins

Once the call has started, if the call is then subsequently manually locked, the call behaviour will depend on who joins next (see the first call behaviour in this table)

note:

For information, the table below describes the call behaviour if you have a Space Template with Activator and Lobby functionality and you select Lock Mode = All.

In this scenario, Activators will go into the Lobby if the Enable Lock at Call Start = True.

Legacy Activator Template with Lobby

Lock Mode Enable Lock at Call Start

 

Activation Required

Call Behaviour

 

Needs Activation All True False False True  

Activator Template:

  • Activator and participants
  • Call locked at start
- - -

If an Activator joins first they go into the Lobby. To join the call:

- the call has to be unlocked

or

- from the VQUI, they have to be admitted

If a Member joins first they go into the Lobby. To join the call:-

Once an Activator has joined, from the VQUI:

- the call can be unlocked all Member(s) in the Lobby, go into the call

or

- the call remains locked and the Members(s) in the Lobby can be admitted one at a time, or admit all

If an Attendee (non-Activator) joins the call first, they go into the Lobby.

For an Attendee to join the call:

Once an Activator has joined, from the VQUI:

- the call can be unlocked all Attendee(s) in the Lobby, go into the call

or

- the call remains locked and the Attendee(s)in the Lobby can be admitted one at a time, or admit all

Activator Template:

  • Activator and participants
  • Call unlocked at start
- - -

If an Activator joins first they by-pass the Lobby and go into the call, because the call is unlocked

If a Member joins first, they wait in the Lobby until an Activator joins. Once the Activator has joined they will move straight into the call

If an Attendee (non-Activator)joins first, they wait in the Lobby until an Activator joins. Once the Activator has joined they will move straight into the call

Once the call has started, if the call is then subsequently manually locked, the call behaviour will depend on who joins next (see the first call behaviour in this table)

NOTE: If you apply the new Lobby settings to an existing Activator Space Template(s), then you will need to run Template Manager to update exisitng Spaces with the new or updated settings contained in the Space Template(s).

Recommendation

If you are using Legacy Activator mode, leave your Spaces and Space Template working as they currently do.

For Lobby mode, create a new Space Template.

Lobby FAQs

For more information regarding Lobby, please refer to our Lobby Frequently Asked Questions.

Enabling Lobby

Lobby is enabled within the People coApp

Navigate to System->UX Profile->Select the UX Profile you require->People coApp

Check the following 3 options:

  • Lock Call - this makes the Locked Call icon display in the People coApp, allowing the user to lock the call
  • Update Lobby - this allows the user to move particpants from the Lobby into the call
  • Lobby - this enables the user to view participants in the Lobby in the VQ UI

Managing a Locked Call

From the Activity page the person managing the call can see that the call is locked.

The People coApp displays the number of participants who have joined the call or are waiting in the Lobby.

  1. Click the People coApp

    The person managing has the following options:

  • Admit All - all the participants waiting are admitted to the call, but the call remains locked. Any particpants who join after the participants have been admitted will sit in the lobby until the call manager, admits them into the call

  • Admit Individuals - the call manager can select from the Waiting in Lobby drop down, which individual participants are admitted to the call

  • Unlock the call - all particpants enter the call and if the call remains unlocked, any subsequent participants who join are admitted straight into the call. If the call is relocked, participants wait in the Lobby until they are admitted

For less experienced users, please note: if you use the Call coApp to dial out dial out to participants, they will by-pass the Lobby and go straight into the call.

Lobby indicators

From VQCM 3.7 we have introduced Lobby indicators. These are new bubbles that show from activity how many people are in the lobby.

Lobby Limitations

The following words are taken from Cisco documentation:

“Needs Activation” lock mode on Meeting Server 2.8 or older:

  • Any dual homed meetings are unable to be locked
  • Gateway calls are unable to be locked
  • Members of a Space can never be locked out of a meeting that is hosted in that Space
  • Non-members of a Space do not always have non-Activator profiles
  • You can only admit lobby participants when there is at least one Activator connected to the meeting
  • As an operator, you are unable to see which rules has been set for what happens after the last Activator leaves the meeting
  • Recorder and Streamer are seen by the Meeting Server as participants, and they may be locked out of the meeting if they have an non-Activator profile

“Needs Activation” lock mode on Meeting Server 2.9 or newer:

  • Any dual homed meetings are unable to be locked
  • Meetings where individual participants are dialling into meetings that are hosted on the AVMCU are unable to be locked
  • Forwarded calls are unable to be locked
  • Gateway calls are unable to be locked
  • Members of a Space cannot be locked out of a meeting that is hosted in that Space
  • Non-members of a Space do not always have non-Activator profiles
  • As an operator, you are unable to see which rules has been set for what happens after the last Activator leaves the meeting

“All” lock mode on Meeting Server 2.9 or newer:

  • Any dual homed meetings are unable to be locked
  • Meetings where individual participants are dialling into meetings that are hosted on the AVMCU are unable to be locked
  • Forwarded calls are unable to be locked
  • As an operator, you are unable to see which rules has been set for what happens after the last Activator leaves the meeting

Supported Clients

Any SIP, Cisco Web App and Cisco Jabber call will work with Lobby. The legacy Cisco Meeting App (“CMA”) client is not supported by Lobby and it will not be possible to Admit either type of Participant into the call.

See Release Notes for further details.