How does iCCAN compensate for the lack of SuperNet connections?
Videoconference sites that are SuperNet connected can communicate with one another, but bringing in a site that is not SuperNet connected requires a special kind of “bridge,” because SuperNet is a closed environment. iCCAN worked with Service Alberta to install a “proxy server” that allows SuperNet sites to connect to other sites by first dialing an outside extension – much like dialing the number nine on a telephone to get an outside line. This allows a SuperNet site to dial an Internet site. However, even this compromise solution doesn’t always work, due to a limited number of proxies that can be in use at one time. It’s like too many people trying to make a phone call on Mother’s day. The proxy server is also limited in that Internet sites cannot dial into SuperNet site (only SuperNet can call Internet). A second, more reliable compromise solution is iCCAN’s Virtual Private Network (VPN). It is the first widely-accessible network on the SuperNet to allow Internet videoconference sit
