Integrate BigBlueButton with Sakai Meetings

01

Choose the supported integration path

Sakai’s BigBlueButton experience is provided through the Meetings tool. Because Sakai releases and institutional builds vary, match the tool release to the exact Sakai version and review its release notes before deployment.

• Exact Sakai build and Java/application-server baseline recorded.
• Compatible Meetings tool package or vendor-supported distribution.
• Staging worksite and BBB/Scalelite credentials.

02

Prepare BigBlueButton and credentials

Use a production BigBlueButton endpoint with a trusted TLS certificate. Keep the API shared secret or LTI secret on the server side: it is equivalent to an application credential and must never be placed in browser code, a public repository or a screenshot.

1. 1

   Confirm the BigBlueButton server is healthy and that its public hostname resolves correctly.

2. 2

   Retrieve the API URL and shared secret with sudo bbb-conf --secret, or create a dedicated LTI key and secret where the integration uses LTI.

3. 3

   Record the platform version, connector version, owner and rollback point before making the change.

sudo bbb-conf --check
sudo bbb-conf --secret

03

Configure Sakai

Make the first connection in a staging course, workspace or tenant. Use a dedicated test teacher and test learner so role mapping can be observed rather than inferred from an administrator account.

1. 1

   Deploy the compatible Meetings tool using your normal Sakai extension procedure.

2. 2

   Configure the BBB endpoint and secret in server-side Sakai properties.

3. 3

   Restart or reload through the supported Sakai deployment process.

4. 4

   Add Meetings to a staging worksite and map maintain/access roles.

04

Run an end-to-end acceptance test

A green “connection successful” message proves only that one API request worked. The useful test follows the complete classroom lifecycle from creation through recording publication.

1. 1

   Create meetings as instructor and confirm students cannot acquire moderator rights.

2. 2

   Exercise join windows, guest rules and recurring room behaviour.

3. 3

   Record and confirm playback permissions inside the worksite.

4. 4

   Archive or close the worksite and confirm the meeting boundary follows policy.

05

Common problems and practical fixes

Start with timestamps, browser developer tools and the logs on both sides. Repeatedly replacing secrets rarely fixes a hostname, TLS, role or callback problem and makes the evidence harder to follow.

• A tool that does not appear often indicates package/Sakai version mismatch.
• 403 or signature errors require comparing endpoint path, clock and secret.
• Recording access issues should be tested with a real student role, not admin impersonation alone.

06

Production hardening and upgrades

Restrict who can create rooms, define recording retention, test accessibility and document the integration owner. Pin or approve connector updates, subscribe to upstream releases and repeat the acceptance test after changes to the LMS, connector, BigBlueButton or reverse proxy.

• Do not expose the BigBlueButton shared secret to course authors or client-side JavaScript.
• Use least-privilege teacher roles and test guest, suspended and unenrolled users.
• Monitor API errors, failed joins, recording processing and disk growth.
• Keep a short rollback runbook: previous package, configuration backup and maintenance window.