Abstract: A collaborative system that includes automatic monitoring and management of reflector/servers and clients. The reflectors are in a logical cluster although their physical locations may be anywhere in the world. Reflector to reflector performance and status is continuously monitored. If a reflector-to-reflector link goes down or is underperforming, the reflector cluster is rerouted to provide desired performance. Clients are monitored and provide information via the network to register/management servers. A best path for the client capabilities is calculated and established. If network performance deteriorates, there are a tiered selection of session modifications that are initiated to compensate. These include reducing video detail levels, reducing number of video streams, reducing size of video windows, adjusting frame rate, and other corrective measures. The client software includes the ability to accept plug-in applications and functionality for customizable operation.

Abstract: The present invention provides a virtual room videoconferencing system (VRVS). According to one or more embodiments of the present invention, one or more virtual conference rooms are implemented by creating dedicated pathways between the users of the conference room. The pathways are configured to connect each of the users of the virtual conference room. According to one embodiment of the present invention each member of a virtual conference room makes a connection between their computing device and a reflector. The reflector in turn connects to one or more other reflectors via one or more tunnels. A tunnel is a permanent connection between reflectors. When a user wishes to join a virtual conference, they choose the appropriate room, which in turn causes the system to locate the ideal reflector for that user.