Initial Setup and Configuration

Network Connection

Depending on the network infrastructure, connect one Ethernet interface to the control network and the other to the AoIP network. The network must be able to handle multicast traffic with low latency and must provide a PTP master. Pay careful attention to DSCP settings.

Network Configuration

Connecting to a DHCP server is recommended for the control network, at least for the initial configuration. If this is not possible, please use the server-specific management/deployment tool(s) to perform the initial setup of the IP interfaces.

For Dell servers, Junger recommends the iDRAC (integrated Dell Remote Access Controller) which provides a virtual console to access the Junger service menu by pressing <Alt> + <F1>. Note that the service menu program hides system (kernel) messages. It will re-start automatically when the system itself has closed it, or if it is closed by the user by pressing <F10>.

Alternatively, you may connect a VGA monitor and a keyboard to the server to access the console and navigate by using the keyboard arrow keys.

This will display the low-level System Status and the installed network interfaces. Choose <Network> to show the available NICs:

Highlight an active interface (that is, one connected to a switch or router on the network) and press <ENTER>. You may now manually assign an IP address.

If you have managed to reach the machine via TCP/IP, you can simply launch the GUI by using its IP address as the URL and perform an in-depth IP configuration as described under System > Network > Interfaces.

MADI / tieLight Connection

You may connect and daisy chain the flexAIserver with other flexAIsevers and/or AIXpressors via MADI or tieLight (Junger's proprietary high channel count, low latency fiber interface. It moves 1024 audio channels in both directions) using a Junger PCIe card, making it the ideal solution for edge processing as it provides the ability to add more processing power over time.

Synchronization

As with all networked AoIP devices, timing and synchronization are critical for proper operation, and it is assumed that a PTP stream synced with baseband video (such as BB, TriLevel, or SDI) and audio (such as AES3 or MADI) is in place.

Specific requirements will differ depending upon whether MADI/tieLight is used in conjunction with AoIP.

PTP Synchronization

PTP synchronization must be enabled via the System > Network > Interfaces pane where all network interfaces are listed. Select the network interface that is connected to a network with a PTP master and set the unit to "slave" mode to enable PTP synchronization.

Important: The flexAI server cannot act as a PTP clock Leader (formerly "Master") on an AoIP network. It must be set to act as a Follower (formerly "Slave").

• Hardware PTP Capable: Grey/green

• PTP Mode: Slave/disabled

• Status: Slave/disabled

• Locked to grandmaster: Red/green

• Grandmaster ID: MAC address of the grandmaster

• Distance to grandmaster: Number of boundary clocks in between; -1 means "no"

• Offset from master (us): Error of the control loop should be less than 1us

• Mean path delay: Measured by the PTP client

If the “Lock to grandmaster” soft LED lights up green, the flexAIserver is synchronized to PTP, indicating that the audio processing, the router, and the video reference for Dolby E encoders or similar are in perfect sync.

Important: As baseband audio sources, MADI/tieLight via the PCIe interface cannot be synchronized by PTP. An external source connected to the PCIe card, such as Word Clock, a video sync source such as BB or TriLevel, or the incoming MADI/tieLight streams themselves must be used.

The Sync Source Priority setting at the Sync pane shows two more options, sync link1 and sync link2.

These are physical sync connections between multiple PCIe cards on additional flexAIservers to facilitate synchronizing the baseband audio interface on those cards using a sync link cable. Note that only one of the cards needs an external reference.