Integrating Rocket.Chat with Pexip Infinity

Rocket.Chat can integrate with Pexip Infinity to allow users to quickly and easily add a Pexip VMR to their chat, enabling any meeting to be held over a secure video conference.

With the Pexip integration, users can:

  • Initiate an instant ad hoc video meeting from their current chat. These are held in single-use VMRs that are created specifically for the meeting and only available for its duration.
  • Schedule a meeting that can be joined from the Rocket.Chat client (in addition to other video devices). These can be held either in a single-use VMR or the user's personal VMR on Pexip Infinity.

Network architecture and firewalls

The Pexip integration app is a Rocket.Chat application that is downloaded from the Rocket.Chat Marketplace. It handles all communications and call requests between Rocket.Chat platform and Pexip Infinity.

Instant meetings

When the user starts a video meeting in Rocket.Chat, the Pexip integration app launches a RocketChat video window or a new browser tab, depending on how the desktop client is configured, and initiates a video call to a Pexip Conferencing Node. This triggers an external policy request from Pexip Infinity to Rocket.Chat and the policy server responds with the meeting parameters (service type, themes, alias, PINs and so on) and a single-use VMR is created specifically for the meeting.

In all cases ensure that you have permitted an HTTPS, port 443 connection from the Pexip Infinity Conferencing Nodes to the Rocket.Chat external policy server.

The diagram below summarizes the connectivity required between the components of Pexip Infinity and a Rocket.Chat workspace.

Scheduled meetings

In scheduled meetings, the calendar invitation contains a link for joining via Rocket.Chat which launches the Rocket.Chat client, which in turn launches a Rocket.Chat video window or a new browser tab, depending on how the desktop client is configured, and initiates a video call to the Pexip Conferencing Node that is hosting the VMR. Other invitees can use alternative links (for example, video conferencing endpoints or the Pexip Connect Webapp3) in the same invitation to join the meeting via their preferred video devices.

Note that for scheduled meetings, the launch process is direct from the Rocket.Chat client and does not use external policy.

Assumptions and prerequisites

The deployment instructions assume that you have:

  • Signed up to the Rocket.Chat platform and have access to an Admin account.
  • Performed a basic installation and configuration of Pexip Infinity. Any of Pexip Infinity's deployment models may be used (on-premises, cloud-hosted etc). See installation overview for more information.

  • Your Pexip Infinity platform and configuration must meet the following criteria:

    • Running version 30 or later.
    • Valid certificates and intermediate certificates installed. See Managing TLS and trusted CA certificates for more information about certificates.
    • Only one system location for each Rocket.Chat workspace, but that location can contain multiple Conferencing Nodes.
    • Configured to use Connect Webapp3 by default.
    • Suitable network routability between Rocket.Chat and Pexip Infinity. See Pexip Infinity port usage and firewall guidance for more information.

  • If you are using scheduled meetings, then you must be using as a minimum:

    • Workspace - 6.0
    • Client - 3.9.4
    • Pexip App - 1.5.0

Integration process

The configuration of the Rocket.Chat and the Pexip Infinity installations needs to align precisely (with certain shared configuration values) for the integration to work correctly.

  1. From the Rocket.Chat instance, enable and configure the Pexip App to use Pexip Infinity for video calls. Note that Pexip App is a Rocket.Chat application. For the purpose of this guide, Pexip App is referred to as the Pexip Integration app.

  2. Within Pexip Infinity, create the following:

    • Policy profile: to link the Rocket.Chat external policy server to Pexip Infinity.
    • Event Sink: to monitor conference status.

    • Theme: to apply Rocket.Chat themes or branding.

      Note that changes made to the Pexip Infinity platform take approximately 60 seconds to synchronize.

  3. You have completed the integration process. Log into a Rocket.Chat web browser or Rocket.Chat desktop client and click the handset icon to start a call. For more information see Conference Call User's Guide.
  4. To add scheduled meetings and configure your calendar invitations, follow the Enabling scheduled meetings instructions.

Configuring the Pexip integration app in Rocket.Chat

You need to configure the Base URL so Rocket.Chat can route calls to the correct Pexip Infinity address.

  1. From the Rocket.Chat instance, enable the Pexip integration app. See the Rocket.Chat Pexip app guide for more information.

  2. Go to the Settings tab and configure the following information:

    • Base URL: https://<FQDN>.

      This FQDN must match the FQDN of your Conferencing Node.

      If you are using multiple Conferencing Nodes, then we recommend setting up a common hostname and associated round robin DNS SRV records. The TLS certificate installed on each Conferencing Node must include this common hostname in addition to the node's individual FQDN. See DNS record examples for more information.

    • API Username and API Password: specify the credentials required to access the external policy server and the event sink. You will need this information when creating a policy profile and adding an event sink.

  3. In the Details tab, the highlighted part of the URL in the GET events and POST events section is required to create a Policy profile and Event Sink.

Configuring a policy profile and an event sink in Pexip Infinity

You only need to create one policy profile and one event sink for each Rocket.Chat workspace.

  1. From the Pexip Infinity Administrator interface, go to Call control > Policy profiles.

  2. Select Add Policy profile and then configure that profile. The options are:

    Option Description
    Name The name used to refer to this policy profile in the Pexip Infinity Administrator interface.
    Description An optional description of the policy profile.
    External policy server
    URL

    Enter the GET URL from the Rocket.Chat-Pexip integration app.

    Do not include the /policy/v1/service/configuration path of the URL.

    Example: https://policy.example.com/api/apps/public/UUID

    Username

    Password

    		 Enter the API Username and API Password from the Rocket.Chat Pexip integration app.
    Service configuration policy
    Enable external service configuration lookup

    Ensure this option is selected.

    The other configuration options are not required for the Rocket.Chat integration.
  3. Select Save.
  4. Go to Platform > Locations.
  5. Select your location and assign the Policy profile.
  6. Go to System > Event Sinks.

  7. Select Add Event sink and configure the event sink. The options are:

    Option Description
    Name The name used to refer to this event sink. Each event sink must have a unique name.
    Description An optional description of this event sink.
    Version Default: Version 2
    URL

    Use the POST URL from the Rocket.Chat-Pexip app configuration.

    Example: https://policy.example.com/api/apps/public/UUID/events
    Username and Password Enter the API Username and API Password from the Rocket.Chat Pexip integration app.
    Verify TLS Ensure this option is selected.
    Location Select all of the possible locations that can handle media for Rocket.Chat calls, including any overflow locations.
  8. Select Save.

Enabling scheduled meetings

To include Rocket.Chat based invitations in scheduled meetings you need to use Pexip's VMR Scheduling for Exchange feature, and configure your VMR joining instructions template to include the appropriate links for joining via Rocket.Chat.

To enable joining scheduled meetings via Rocket.Chat:

  1. Configure your Pexip Infinity platform in the standard manner to use VMR Scheduling for Exchange. See Using Microsoft Exchange to schedule meetings in VMRs for full details.
  2. Ensure it is configured for personal use VMRs and/or for single-use VMRs as appropriate.

  3. Configure your VMR joining instructions templates to include the appropriate links for joining via Rocket.Chat:

    You need to add the link for Rocket.Chat users to the Personal VMR joining instructions template field and/or Single-use VMR joining instructions template field in your VMR Scheduling For Exchange configuration.

    The link itself takes the format:

    <a href="rocketchat://conference?host=rc.pexample.com&path=conference%2F{{numeric_alias}}%3FcallUrl%3Dhttps%3A%2F%2F{{addin_server_domain}}%2Fmybrandingpath%2Fconference%3Fconference%3D{{numeric_alias}}%26callProvider%3Dpexip">

    where:

    • rc.pexample.com must be replaced with the FQDN of your Rocket.Chat workspace.
    • mybrandingpath must be replaced with the Path identifier you have set up for your branding path. (If you don't have a branding path then remove %2Fmybrandingpath from the link completely.)

    The href URL must be fully HTML-encoded, for example any "/" path characters must be represented by "%2f" instead.

    Here is some example template script that adds the Rocket.Chat link (modify as required, and as described above):

    Copy to clipboard 
    <tr>
      <td class="left-column">
        <img src="https://[your link to Rocket.Chat icon]" width="42" height="42" alt="Rocket.Chat">
      </td>
      <td class="center-column">
        <p>
          <span class="pexip-heading">
            From a Rocket.Chat client:
          </span>
          <br>
          <a href="rocketchat://conference?host=rc.pexdemo.uk&path=conference%2F{{numeric_alias}}%3FcallUrl%3Dhttps%3A%2F%2F{{addin_server_domain}}%2Fmybrandingpath%2Fconference%3Fconference%3D{{numeric_alias}}%26callProvider%3Dpexip">
          <span class="pexip-info">
             rocketchat://{{alias}}
          </span>
          </a>
        </p>
      </td>
      <td class="pexip-cell"/>
    </tr>

    Pexip Connect Webapp3 links

    If your template also includes links for the Pexip Connect Webapp3, they should take the following format:

    <a href="https://{{addin_server_domain}}/mybrandingpath/m/{{numeric_alias}}">

    where mybrandingpath should be replaced with the Path identifier of your branding path.

    If you don't have a branding path (you are using the default branding), the link should take the following format:

    <a href="https://{{addin_server_domain}}/webapp/#/?conference={{numeric_alias}}">

Changing the branding and themes of a video conference in Pexip Infinity

The look and feel of the Connect web app and the Pexip Infinity platform can be customized, for example to apply language translations or to change the color scheme for buttons, icons and other graphic indicators on the home page of the web app via branding. The in-call elements, such as the splash screens, are customized via themes.

Themes

The Rocket.Chat external policy server will request a theme called rocket.chat as one of the requirements for the one-time VMR. You can use the Pexip branding portal to apply a range of customizations and then go to Services > Themes and select Add theme. The name of your theme must be rocket.chat — see Customizing using themes for more information.

When you upload the theme to Pexip Infinity, you do not need to apply it to any Services or Call Routing Rules.

If there is no theme with the name rocket.chat in Pexip Infinity, the theme set as default in Global Settings is used.

Branding the Connect app

The branding and styling of the Connect web app can be customized to give the Rocket.Chat look and feel. You can do this by applying the branding to Pexip Infinity or using a reverse proxy to host the branding. See Customizing the clients for more information.