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Getting started with BigBlueButton (BBB)

Features​

  • guestPolicy functionality
  • muteOnStart functionality
  • allowModsToUnmuteUsers functionality
  • welcome functionality

External Expert can join a meeting and will be marked as guest now. Moderator can mute all participants on start of video conference. Moderator can allow moderators to unmute users, if they want to. Moderator can write a welcome message for the Waiting room.

Local Setup for using the features above in BBB​

Add the BBB credentials HOST and SALT to your env. file, you can find them in 1Password.

Add FEATURE_VIDEOCONFERENCE_ENABLED=true in client and server and FEATURE_VIDEOCONFERENCE_WAITING_ROOM_ENABLED=true to your env. file in the client.

Add the right permission to the role. Permissions they need are START_MEETING, JOIN_MEETING.

Add "videoconference" to School features (table schools) in MongoDB.

Make sure that the fields below exists in the videoconference ltitool object (MongoDB).

💡 Tip

"isHidden":false,
"name":"Video-Konferenz mit BigBlueButton",
"url":"BBB_URL",
"isLocal":true,
"logo_url":"/images/tools/bbb/available.png",

Make sure you started nuxt client.

FEATURE_VIDEOCONFERENCE_ENABLED=true VIDEOCONFERENCE_HOST=https://bbb.staging.messenger.schule/bigbluebutton VIDEOCONFERENCE_SALT

External Experts Waiting room​

Introduction​

External experts are currently forbidden from entering BBB conferences due to data protection reasons. However if there is a waiting room and explicit permissions from a moderator (usually a teacher) then they are allowed into such rooms to participate in a video conference.

Research Results​

BBB has built in features to allow for such constellations. It has a waiting room for guests that can be activated and only allows participants to join after a moderator approves it.

These features are currently deactivated in dBildungscloud, but can be activated. In a POC we could confirm that it works as imagined, it just needs to be properly implemented now.

The following changes are necessary:

Client:

  • Add an option on room creation, that allows external experts, but puts them in a waiting room

Server:

  • Add the correct parameters on room creation to allow guests only after moderator permission
  • Add a check for external experts to give then the BBB-role "Guest"

Those changes will be most likely done in the legacy code due to delivery timeline reasons.