Ventrilo Server

Ventrilo is a proprietary Voice over Internet Protocol program with clients for Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X. Most users of Ventrilo use a headset or microphone and use the program to talk to each other, similar to a telephone conference call.

Usage

Users install the Ventrilo client and connect to a Ventrilo server. The Ventrilo client is released as freeware and is available for Microsoft Windows and for Mac OS X, and future support is planned for operating systems based on the Linux kernel. The server, under a restrictive license, is available for Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux as well as Kopi, Solaris, NetBSD and FreeBSD. Although there is no client version for Linux, it can be used with Wine.

The default sound quality is comparable to a telephone but it can be changed to a higher quality by changing to a different codec. Ventrilo currently supports GSM Full Rate, and Speex as their main codecs. Presently, however, the Mac OS X client is still unable to properly use most servers due to a lack of support for the widely used GSM codec.

The Ventrilo developers have attempted to keep its bandwidth to a minimum but users with a low-bandwidth dial-up connection may still find themselves restricted to using low quality settings.

Gamers can use the software to communicate with other players on the same team of a multiplayer game. Communicating by voice gives a competitive advantage by allowing players to keep their hands on the mouse and action keys while playing a fast paced game such as a first-person shooter, particularly in team-based, tactical games. This kind of quick and easy communication can be crucial for those who participate in electronic sports. It is often referred to as "Vent". In game, if you are using ventrilo, it is also known as "Venting". Ventrilo is also popular among players of other genres of online games, especially MMORPGs (World of Warcraft, Dark Age of Camelot, Warhammer Online, Lord of the Rings Online, Navy Field, Guild Wars etc.) and real-time strategy games.

Ventrilo is also used as a call-in method on radio shows, and for general voice-chat.

The quality of the speech depends on the users' sound cards and microphones and the codec selected by the administrator. It also depends on the quality of the host's Internet connection.

Versions and features

Version 3.0.0 was released on 14 November 2007 for both Windows and Mac OS X. New features include per-channel codec selection (pay server only), and hotkey combinations (for example Ctrl+ScrollLock, or ScrollLock+NumLock) as opposed to the previous single-key limitation. As usual, upgrade to 3.x.x is mandatory for both the server and the client.

History and licensing

In versions prior to 2.1.2, one could freely run their own private server, but could not rent their slots to other people.

Starting after version 2.2.0, the free version of the server is limited to 8 simultaneous client connections. If you want more than 8 simultaneous connections, you must now either purchase a license for the "Pro" version of the server, or rent a server from a hosting company licensed by Ventrilo. Flagship has limited "official licensees" to legally registered corporations with other specific requirements (placing the Pro server out of reach of most—if not all—individuals).

Pricing can vary among "officially licensed" hosts, depending on many variables.

See also

• Voice over IP
• Comparison of VoIP software
• TeamSpeak
• Mumble
• Roger Wilco
• VoiceChatter
• Skype Peer to Peer software

References

• Ventrilo features (2.3)/pictures of 3.0 discusses the usage
• Ventrilo forums (good source of info)
• Ventrilo Features
• The Ventrilo forum thread where the guide was posted
• Flagship announces sponsorship of No. 30 Ventrilo Tundra

• Ventrilo server 3.0.3 was released in late August, 2008 for pro hosting companies. Resolves SPAM exploit.
• A new user access rights system was released in Ventrilo 3.0.0.

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