Dante Interface
Applicable to AIXpressor
The Dante interface provides 32 AoIP streams with a total of 64 audio channels to and from the Brooklyn II module on the Jünger DT-100 board. All settings can be performed via the Dante Controller software available for download from the Audinate website: https://my.audinate.com/support/downloads/dante-controller
Figure 13 below shows an example of the routing matrix of the Dante Controller where transmit and receive channels from various Dante interfaces are connected. The interface is color-coded. Red indicates the module resides in a different subnet. Blue represents non-Dante interfaces discovered on the AoIP network that provide AES67 multicast streams (such as Ravenna). Black represents native Dante interfaces operating in either Dante or AES67 mode. Note that if two Dante modules operating in AES67 mode exchange audio signals, the streams will default to Dante Unicast mode.
We strongly recommend studying the numerous documents available from AIMS and the Internet Engineering Task Force to familiarize yourself with the terms used in AoIP networks from PTP over mDNS to Layer 3 routing. For Dante-specific documents are available on the Audinate website, and imparting such knowledge is beyond the scope of this manual.
Important - Layer 3 routing and SMPTE ST-2110 / 2022-7 require the use of the Dante Domain Manager. A license is available from Audinate.
Important - The Dante Controller plays a central role in a Dante network no matter if the interfaces operate in Dante or AES67 protocol mode, or both. Routing within such a network will be controlled by the Dante Controller only. AIXpressor does not provide any means to route audio channels within a Dante network.
When a Dante interface is installed, it will be automatically named by AIXpressor.
Status
Select Status (A) from the Interfaces > Dante menu. The following information is displayed in the status screen (B):
Device Name - The name of the Dante interface used by the Dante controller software to locate it.
Sync Source - The AoIP network to which the Dante interface is connected.
Sync Status - Indicates whether the interface sync is locked or unlocked.
Preferred Master - Indicates whether this Dante interface is set to be a preferred master for other Dante devices.
Network Audio Sample Rate - Indicates the sample rate for AoIP audio.
Device Latency Setting - Defines the size of the buffer size in milliseconds (ms) required to handle network-related latencies.
AES67 Enabled - Indicates whether or not the interface can connect to both Dante and AES67 networks.
Device Access Lock - Shows whether the interface is unlocked or locked to prevent authorized access to the module.
Receiver
Select Receiver (A) from the Interfaces > Dante menu. The following information is displayed:
Routing Label (B) - Labels are automatically assigned by AIXpressor in the Dante Routing menu.
Channel Label (C) - These are the labels for the 64 transmit channels; they display as numbers from 01 to 64 by default but can be customized using the Dante Controller.
Connection Status (D) - Shows the connection to each channel as OK, Fail, or N/A.
Signal Status Stereo Pair (E) - The routing FPGA analyses the signal headers of adjacent odd and even signals that may form a stereo pair. This status information can be used globally for event management or to mute processor inputs. The type of signal is also displayed (PCM, Dolby E, Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, MPEG-4 HE-AAC, MPEG-4 AAC, or N/A).
Connected to (F) - Receiver channels must be routed (connected) to transmit channels within the AoIP network. The Dante Controller must be used for signal routing. The receiver shows the transmission channel label and the device name separated by an "@".
Subscription Status (G) - This indicates whether the receiver is subscribed and if so, to which type of connection. Options include Connected (Unicast), Connected (Multicast), No Subscription, and Subscription Unresolved.
Transmitter
Select Transmitter (A) from the Interfaces > Dante menu. The following information is displayed:
Routing Label (B) - The routing label is automatically assigned by AIXpressor and serves as a reference in the Routing matrix of the Dante Controller.
Channel Label (C) - The channel label must be specified and assigned in the Dante Controller.
Primary Network
The Dante interface has two network connectors that may be configured as redundant or switched.
In redundant mode, the interface can be connected to two independent AoIP networks to provide "Seamless Protection Switching" as defined in SMPTE 2022-7.
In switched mode, both networks ports combine to build an Ethernet switch using the built-in Brooklyn II Ethernet interface.
Important - Do not connect both Ethernet connectors to the same network switch. Doing so will cause "race" conditions if the switch has not been configured to use the Spanning Tree Protocol, which is typical in many off-the-shelf "office" switches.
Select Primary Network (A) from the Interfaces > Dante menu.
The Connection Status (B) section shows the following information:
Network Status - Indicates if the interface is connected to an active network and at what speed (Connected 1G, Connected 100M, Offline, Pending, N/A).
PTPv1 and PTPv2 Status - Shows the status of the PTP clocks (Startup, Initializing, Faulty, Disabled, Listening, Pre Master, Master, Passive, Uncalibrated, Slave, NA).
The Current Network Status (C) contains the following information:
Current Mode - Redundant or Switched.
Current Enable DHCP - On or Off.
Current IP Information - Including IP address, Netmask, DNS Server, Gateway, and MAC Address.
The Change Network Settings(C) section allows the following information to be changed:
Request New Mode - Redundant (the default setting) or Switched.
Config IP Information - Allows changes to DHCP (enabled by default), IP Address, Netmask, DNS Server, and Gateway values.
Secondary Network
Settings for the Secondary Network are identical to the Primary Network with one exception in the Request New Mode setup. If the Secondary network port is not connected or the Primary port is set to "Switched," the network status changes to "Offline" and no PTP status is available.
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