Structure of a Node Test

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Structure of a Node Test

A Node test is scheduled to last for one hour, but will often take much less time. The test is currently comprised of the measurements in the table below, although the AGSC reserves the right to add or remove metrics and change methods of measurement according to good practice.

Category	Item	Measurement Scale	Measurement / Criteria
Audio	Echo	5. Imperceptible 4. Perceptible, but not annoying 3. Slightly annoying 2. Annoying 1. Very annoying	In a normal speaking voice, check for perception of echo - 1.Ensure the Echo Cancelling device is properly configured. 2.Consider microphone placement. Microphones placed too close to speakers will increase the risk of echo. 3.Check speaker levels as high volume settings can negate the effects of the Echo Cancelling device. No echo should be perceptible.
Audio	Audio Quality	5. Excellent 4. Good 3. Fair 2. Poor 1. Bad	Audio quality should be excellent. Voices must be clearly understood and there should be no distortion in the voice. In a normal speaking voice the LEDs in RAT should peak at orange, but not go into the red. The speaker should be asked to read something, with some emphasis on parts to check the peaks.
Audio	Microphones off	Display in RAT	The microphones are muted / switched off and there should be no lights showing in RAT.
Audio	Ambient room noise	Display in RAT	The microphones are switched on but no one is speaking. The background ambient noise should not light up more than the first 3 LED's on the display in RAT.
Video	Picture Quality	5. Excellent 4. Good 3. Fair 2. Poor 1. Bad	The contrast between the background and speakers in the foreground should be good. Presenters should not be placed in front of bright backgrounds e.g. with a projected image in background, as the system overcompensates and the presenters' images become too dark to see any detail clearly. The images should not flicker.
Video	Camera positioning of subjects	5. Excellent 4. Good 3. Fair 2. Poor 1. Bad	The cameras should be positioned to show a head and shoulders shots of the presenters. If groups must be shown, these should sit close together and be restricted to 2 or 3 people if possible to avoid becoming too small in the shot.
Networking	Time synchronisation	Public Time Servers free download http://www.ntp.org	Is the NTP synchronisation running on the system? Useful tool for changing Windows XP synchg settings on http://www.dougknox.com/xp/utils/xp_inet_time.htm.
Miscellaneous	Jabber (text chat application)	3.Responded 2.Character but no response 1.Jabber not in use	Is Jabber being used? Say "Hello" to other site. Do they respond within 5 minutes without being prompted? (Please see http://www-unix.mcs.anl.gov/fl/research/accessgrid/software/jabber.html for details of how to set up Jabber software for the Access Grid.)
Miscellaneous	Shared presentation software	IGPix VNC	Test IGPix to share PowerPoint. Test VNC. (Note that failure to comply does not fail the QA Test as ability to demonstrate this application may be dependant on an institution's site security policy.)
Miscellaneous	Check all contact details are correct	Data Check	Check node resources (e.g. whiteboard, document camera) and node details (addresses, phone numbers, e-mail etc.)
Miscellaneous	Connection type	Multicast/Unicast	Check either: 1. Unicast functionality (multicast is not required for a QA pass). or 2. Multicast and unicast (unicast ports need to be open as a backup even if multicast is available).